January 1982 was a very hot month. Many in Jireh community went on holidays:

The King family went to Tumby Bay, the Graetz family to the South East of South Australia, the Roll family to Eyre Peninsula and the Brown’s to the Flinders Ranges.

 

Ruth Jackson moves into a flat on Sydenham Road. Anne Daughtry moves into an adjacent flat, having come down from Queensland.

 

David Burrow’s parents stay at the King’s house. David celebrates his 21st birthday in the community shed.

 

Trevor Harris starts renovating his kitchen.

Sue Franklin started demolishing her kitchen chimney at 68 Fisher Street.

 

Des and Cherie Fellowes purchased 45 Gray Street and Jack and Edith McNicol purchased 47 Gray Street house in January. There is great excitement in the community with more tests of faith and finances.

Cherie Westwater (then Fellowes) explains:

A house at 45 Gray Street, Norwood came up for sale in 1982. A couple appeared and told us they were Christians and thought the house was for them. We shared a quick prayer and shortly after that couple said they felt they were to let go of it. Jack and Edith McNicol were prepared to buy the adjoining home at the same time. We were overwhelmed, but even more so when both Jack, Edith, and our family bid at the auction and the homes became ours. 

 

A group of Jireh kids start the school year in February at Norwood Primary School. Sony Roll (Grade 4), Sharon Harris (Grade 3), Aylwyn Franklin, Rebecca Harris, Michelle King, Like Roll and Amy Fellowes (Grade 1). 

The community was bombarded with sicknesses - diarrhea, vomiting and viruses. Healing issues emerged in Jireh’s teaching. Peter King leads session on “Healing in the Scriptures”.

 

There was plenty of building work progressing on Jireh community houses. Ministry opportunities to tradesmen on site at Harris home - Martin the plumber, Kevin the carpenter and Gerald the plasterer.

 

Peter and Marilyn Brown move in to 27 Gray Street, 3 houses west of the kindergarten.

Jenny Graetz resumed teaching part-time at East Adelaide Junior Primary School after taking 12 months leave after the birth of Randy.

 

During February and March, Mal Graetz works on Sue Franklin’s cottage at 68 Fisher Street remodelling the kitchen. 

 

In March, Jireh Community was host to a team of 7 Youth With A Mission (YWAM) young people. They were billeted in different houses and shared in ministry opportunities for a week. The Thursday 18th March Jireh gathering was led by the YWAM team. There was singing, role plays and a talk by Donette on “Love Forgives Much”. (There was a blocked drain at the Harris house after a female member disposed of a tampon in the toilet!)

 

A number of people were encouraged by attending the Colin Urquhart rally on 11th March where he spoke on “repentance”. Colin Urquhart was a Christian, evangelical, apostolic and neocharismatic leader in the United Kingdom.

In 1940 Urquhart was born in Twickenham, and was involved in the Charismatic Renewal movement in the 1960s and 1970s. He was the vicar of the parish church of St Hugh, Lewsey Luton, Bedfordshire, at the time, and during a period of four years immense changes took place there.

In 1974 he wrote a book about these experiences, called “When the Spirit Comes”, one of a number of books he authored during the 1970s. At the start of 1976, having resigned as the vicar of St Hugh's, he and his family plus two parishioners moved to a house owned by Fountain Trust in East Molesey, Surrey. From this base he began an itinerant ministry travelling nationally and internationally.

By the early 1980s Urquhart was becoming more widely known internationally as a writer, and as a speaker at Charismatic conferences, rallies, and conventions. Colin passed away in 2021.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Urquhart

 

Regular prayer meetings started on Tuesday nights in March with an organised creche.The children had some structured time with spiritual input as well.

 

Jack McNicol demolished the back of their house at 47 Gray Street. Jack discovered that the lino flooring in the kitchen was sitting on dirt. (Maybe it was a result of the shortage of materials during the war years.)

 

Peter Brown finds employment. Chris Roll builds a shed in his backyard.

 

There was a meeting of the Sydenham Road cluster of houses to work out common issues related to community life.

 

In April there was quite a bit of activity with Jireh people:

- Chris DeVries and Kaye Jackson were baptised in the sea at Glenelg.

 

- Bill and John Curtis from the UK stay with the Harris family.

 

- Tom Ryan and Dave Ellyatt help dig the foundations for Jack and Edith’s house.

 

- Tom Ryan got a job at the Northfield Department of Agriculture experimental site where Peter King was working.

 

- Jim Burrows visited Peter and Cathy Bradley at the Amata Aboriginal Community. Amata was a community in the remote Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands in South Australia, 40km south of the Northern Territory border and around 250km west of the Stuart Highway.

 

- Jeff and Leonie Byerley get permission to move to the No. 9 Woods Street house, then occupied by Des and Cherie Fellowes. They were living at Rostrevor and wanted to shift closer to St. Bart’s Anglican Church and Jireh Community.

 

- Chris and Helen move in to their house at 37 Stepney St., Stepney.

 

- Des Fellowes and Chris McNicol prepare for an Easter broadcast at Christian Community Radio (CCR).

 

- Mal & Jenny Graetz organised a Judea-Christian Passover Meal in Jireh Community on Thursday 8th April. Quite a few visitors attended.

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- Trevor Harris shares at Thursday night gatherings during April with the themes of “Temptations and Pressures”, and “Facing Conflicts.”

 

In May, Des and Cherie Fellowes move into their newly purchased home at 45 Gray Street with the help from Jireh and St. Bart's people.

 

The community hosted a pre-wedding celebration for Chris DeFries and Kaye Jackson on Thursday 13th May. Chris and Kaye were married at Parkside Baptist Church on Saturday 15th May.

 

Prayer meetings on Tuesday evenings were well attended with the Jireh Elder’s meetings held afterward. The second Community Meeting for 1982 was held at the Fellowes house.

 

A ‘moving day working bee’ was held to assist the Byerley family shift into their 9 Wood Street home. Jeff reflects on the excitement of the move:

Before Jireh blessed St. Bart’s Church there were few young families with children, just the Rogers with two children, and our four. It was wonderful to have an influx from Jireh. This naturally drew our involvement to the degree that we moved from Rostrevor to Norwood.

 

In the May school holidays, Chris and Helen go to Melbourne. The Graetzs visit family in Whyalla. Peter and Kathy Bradley visit Jireh Community. Jack McNicol busy with extensions on his home.

 

Sickness strikes again - colds, tonsillitis, mumps and conjunctivitis.

 

In June, Trevor Harris starts work on his Gray Street side fence. A monumental brick rendered structure! Peter King spends time in the South East of South Australia.

 

Chris Roll had an operation to restore hearing to his ear - there was much praising the Lord!

 

On the 1st June, Ecumenical Bible studies began on “The Kingdom of God” with Peter King leading a session on “Eating Together”.

 

Mal Graetz starts the renovation of the front two rooms of Sue’s place with help from David Burrow and David Ellyat. A caravan was placed in Sue’s back yard which assisted with accommodation needs while construction was underway.

 

Peter King speaks at the Blackwood Outreach Centre. 

 

A group visited from Hope Valley Uniting Church as they were interested in what Jireh Community was doing.

 

Relationships are again tested in Jireh with issues gradually sorted out as we learned how to “repent”. The 3rd Community meeting was held at the Byerley’s home.

 

On Thursday 11th June, John Potter spoke on “Healing from the Lord”.

 

The girls from Jireh have a night out in July to see the movie “The Man from Snowy River”.

 

In August, a group of students from the Bible College of South Australia (BCSA) were involved with St. Bart’s Week of Mission. Trevor Harris helped to organise the Men’s Dinner. A number of Jireh people were involved in the School’s Outreach, the Parish Tea and a Square Dance.

 

The men of Jireh have a day of fellowship at the Harrogate property in the Adelaide Hills. The property belonged to Brendan and Elizabeth Lay, friends of Peter King. [see PHOTOS 1982]

The words JESUS LIVES was planted out in big writing with trees and shrubs so it could be seen from the air traffic coming and going from Adelaide. 

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Bronwyn Tupper has her special cello recital at Elder Conservatorium in September. Her mum Jean, accompanied her playing piano.

 

The Woods family, who were missionaries in Indonesia, visited Jireh Community. 

 

The Harris and Graetz families travel to Victoria in the September school holidays to be involved in a teaching camp for Belgrave Anglican Church. Trevor was the key guest presenter. While in Melbourne, Mal & Jenny visited “Truth and Liberation Concern” at North Bayswater for Sunday worship.

 

Tom and Debbie Ryan stay at the Harris home while they were in Victoria. Sue Franklin has a holiday in Canberra.

 

The idea is raised of forming a “sister” community to Jireh at Stepney was raised.

A working bee was held in the community gardens.

 

In October, Jack and Edith McNicol move into their renovated home in Gray Street.

 

Peter and Francie Blaney move into their newly purchased home in Dulwich with help of a Jireh-St. Bart’s working bee.

 

Helen McNicol celebrates her 21st birthday.

 

Quite a few people visiting Jireh Community sought counselling.

 

A committee was set up to better prepare for the Norwood Christmas Pageant. This included representatives from Jireh Community, Catholic, Anglican, Uniting, Salvation Army and the Vietnamese Churches. A working bee was held at Bezalel workshop to prepare displays and placards for the Norwood Christmas Pageant to be held on Saturday 27th November. The banners that year were simplified for easy reading. The large fish structure was put aside this year as it didn’t seem to “make sense” to the general public. The “fish” was a symbol of the early church for Christians under persecution.

The big hit was the nativity procession - Joseph leading Mary on a donkey, with a band of child shepherds and angels following, and the Wise Men accompanying them with a Vietnamese star leading the way. Mal and Jenny Graetz were Joseph and Mary.

 

Peter and Marilyn helped organise the St. Bart’s stall for the night Mardi Gras on the Parade.

 

Due to drought conditions, extra attention was made to keep water up to vegetable gardens.

 

Jeanette Browning was excited about returning to her family home in Sydney. She was connected to Frank Houston’s Sydney Christian Life Centre Church. A special farewell was held in Bezalel shed in December. The “Mummy Game “ was played where a person had to decorate a ‘partner’ in toilet paper. (see PHOTOS 1982)

 

A 4th Community Meeting was held at the Brown’s home.​