By Adrienne A. Aguirre of the Christian Examiner's (Orange County Edition)
Special to ASSIST News Service
IRVINE, CA (ANS) -- The Upper Room Christian Coffeehouse [in Irvine, California) will take people back in time through a multimedia presentation of the Jesus People Movement with many who were instrumental in the era that contemporized the Christian church.
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Featured guests will play music and share their personal stories, testimonies and perspectives of that time period that started in California in the 1960's.
"I want it to be a mix of music and discussion" said Ron Strand, founder of The Upper Room. "We will also have videos and still shots. and time for questions after."
The presentation, originally schedule to take place at the coffee house located on Rockfield Blvd. in Irvine, has been moved to Concordia University due to the high demand for reservations. It will be held in the 500+ seat Concordia University Center (1530 Concordia West, Irvine, California 92612-3203) beginning at 7:30 pm, on Saturday, August 27.
The event is donation based but reservations must be made.
"The Jesus Movement: A Look Back and a Look Ahead" is part of the Upper Room's monthly outreach series. Strand, who lives in Laguna Hills, said he chose to feature the movement because it is near and dear to his heart: it's what brought him to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
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Ron Strand |
"What we are trying to capture with this event is why it was important at that time for that generation," he said.
"That's what we needed to have to embrace Christ."
Strand said prior to the movement that the church used to be a place you got dressed up to go on Sundays to hear traditional messages and music geared to a different generation. But the movement changed that and gave birth to churches like the Calvary Chapels with their informal attire, youthful music and contemporary teachings.
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Jesus People give the One Say sign inside the Big Tent at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa |
"What impacted me was the relevancy of the church at that time," said Strand, who found Christ at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa. "It was meeting the needs of the youth. I was so impacted by the music and the relevant messages. It was something I could relate to. Church wasn't 'stuffy' anymore, if you will"
Enduring Impact:
Strand, who now worships at Mariner's Church said aside from exploring the historical perspective of the Jesus Movement and the social events that shaped it, panelists will discuss the lasting impact of the movement.
"It ushered in what we have today in contemporary churches" he said.
"Prior to the movement, they really didn't exist."
The movement also gave birth to many of today's renowned spiritual leaders and several of them will present and perform at the event.
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Love Song |
The presentation will feature recording artist Chuck Girard, a member of the early Jesus Movement group "Love Song"; legendary recording artist Barry McGuire who was instrumental in the 1960's secular hit "Eve of Destruction"; legendary gospel recording artist Andrae Crouch, who wrote and recorded the iconic song "To God Be The Glory"; solo Christian recording artist Karen Lafferty who wrote the famous worship song "See Ye First"; Pastor Mike MacIntosh, who founded Horizon Christian Fellowship in San Diego, and recording artist Tom Stipe, who was known as the bushy haired preacher at Calvary's Saturday Night Concerts" during the early movement. He later went on to start Crossroads Church of Denver, where he serves as senior pastor today.
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ANS founder, Dan Wooding, pictured with Andrae Crouch |
"Those people, including myself, who were impacted by the contemporary churches at that time, are now the leaders in the churches," said Strand, who went on to serve as college and career pastor at Calvary Chapel of Whittier. "I tried to find a cross of people who were instrumental at that time. These were icons of that time for me."
'The Gathering Place:
After serving at Calvary Chapel, Strand led worship at Christian Life Fellowship in Orange for 10 years before going into business for himself.
Two years ago, Strand and his wife Kathy, started the Upper Room in the second floor of a building they own to reach people for Christ. He said the coffeehouse grew out of their home fellowship of 14 people.
They started inviting people to speak and play music at their meetings, and it exploded from there. Today Strand's monthly events draw up to 200 people.
"We hold events and invite various speakers, musical artists, authors and persons of note in the Christian community to come and share their insights, teach and giftedness," Strand said. "We also want to be able to reach young people for Christ. It's a labor of love."
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More on The Upper Room can be found at http://www.
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