The Graetz Family Update No. 2 was circulated dated the 2/1/87. Mal & Jenny and their four children were booked to depart Adelaide for Chicago on the 11th March 1987. The main purpose for going to live at ‘Jesus People USA’ (JPUSA) was to widen their experience in Christian community living. 

Mal commented in the family update: 

I see it as the equivalent to going to a Bible College which will provide training on a practical as well as a text book level. It is an opportunity for the whole family to be involved fully in developing richer relationships with God and other Christians, and also reaching out to a needy world.

 

Helen Daughtry was at the time, considering an invitation from Mal and Jenny for her to travel and live with them at JPUSA community.

 

The “Victory ’87” United Charismatic Convention was held at Wayville Showgrounds in January. Speakers included Yonggi Cho from South Korea, Winkie Pratney, Mario Murillo from USA,, Volkhard Spitzer from Germany, Barry McGuire, Bishare Awad from Israel and Robert Colman.

 

Mal Graetz caught the bus to Perth for Fusion Australia’s training and outreach programme from the 19-26th January. This was during the 1987 America’s Cup boat races in Fremantle. A White Paper on Australians in Sport called “Free to Win at Last” was released in Perth on the 23rd January 1987. Jenny and the Graetz kids stayed on Jack and Leonor Stiggants’ farm at Kyancutta while Mal was away in Western Australia.

 

Jeff Byerley, a warden at St. Bartholomew’s Church and also involved in Jireh, penned a letter dated 21/1/1987 titled “Jireh Community and the Future”. The three page document addressed his personal observations. He felt that Jireh was “currently in disarray”. The reasons he gave was:

- disagreements on whether Jireh was a local church.

- personality clashes

- too introspective and not enough outreach ministry

- not meeting the needs of people

- insufficient opportunity for development of ministry gifts and leadership

- lack of unity on community objectives

- lack of growth

Jeff Byerley’s closing line in his challenging letter was: “We have learnt much at Jireh which we will encourage at St. Bart’s.”

 

Mal Graetz’s response to Jeff’s letter:

While some of the above may have been valid, there had been a growth in reaching out to students in schools in the Eastern Suburbs in 1986. Small groups were giving people an opportunity to develop their gifts and leadership skills. The reality was that St. Bart’s and Jireh had overlapped so much that it was hard to satisfy an established church’s structure. Some from Jireh were looking to connect to other ministries including Fusion, New Creation Teaching Ministries, YWAM, and mainline church theological training. With the increase in the child population, it was increasingly difficult for families to spend more time on outreach opportunities. The major building projects at the King’s, the Harris’s, the Blaney’s, the Fellowes’, the McNicol's Senior & Junior, the Fisher Street cottage properties as well as maintenance on other homes had taken a hefty commitment on finances and people’s time. How do you share those resources around equitably if the community is not in it for the long haul?

The “personality clash” was accentuated by how Jireh dealt with mental health issues. Was someone’s problem a ‘demonic’ manifestation or a ‘biological disorder’ which could be treated with medicines. Single parents struggled with the heavy responsibility of raising their kids and relating to two parent families. 

Within the eldership, Peter King had an emphasis on the miracles and the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit as well as facilitating building projects and schools outreach. Trevor Harris had a pastoral and teaching emphasis in his gifts and used his architectural skills to assist people in their housing situations. I [Mal Graetz] was more outward looking, trying to catch the bigger picture of what God was doing in our local community and country. I was wanting to learn from other communities around the world to help Jireh navigate its way into the future. I wanted to see Jireh ‘multiply’ as local Christian communities in different suburbs.

 

On 12th  Feb. 1987 Stephen Daughtry and Mal Graetz wrote a letter to the President of the Rose Park Scout Troup to seek permission to use the Norwood Scout Hall for Rainbow Club and “Dancing on the Wire” band rehearsals, Jireh celebrations and other meetings.

 

A meeting was held at the Graetz house to establish a support group for Gerry Holmes and Steve Daughtry. A fund was set up to financially assist Gerry and Steve in their music ministry with their duo named “Dancing on the Wire”. The meeting was attended by Simon and Anne Lathlean, David Burrow, Mal and Jenny Graetz. Apologies from Peter and Marilyn Brown.

 

Steve Daughtry and Mal Graetz organised a public meeting at the Norwood Scout Hall on Thursday 26th Feb. 1987 to promote the work of “Fusion Australia”. The evening outlined the proposed 1987/88 National Youth Mission - a 2 year strategy of training, outreach and prophetic action around Australia. The question raised - “How do we reach Australia for Christ?” Fusion had established a base in Elizabeth in 1986 with Alan and Bronwyn Grigg heading up the centre in the northern suburbs of Adelaide. Mal Graetz was connecting with Fusion in some of its outreach programmes in Elizabeth.

 

There was some direct opposition for the Graetz family heading off to Jesus People USA in Chicago just before their departure date. Mal was satisfied that he had gone through the appropriate channels in the process of making this decision. He had consulted with the elders of Jireh and sought broad support from Jireh Community and St. Bart’s people. 

Later, Mal commented: 

Substantial gifts and loans had been received from around 15 people from Jireh, St. Barts, friends and family. We also funded Helen Daughtry’s fares along with some spending money. On return to Australia in January 1988 we had significant loans that we needed to repay. A few months later, an anonymous bank cheque arrived unexpectantly in the post which covered all our overseas travel loans and also funded the live-in “Youth and Community Training Course” run by Fusion Australia in Sale, Victoria beginning in 1989. Jenny and I were so appreciative of the generosity of God’s people! We hope we have been as generous in the years since that time.

 

The Graetz family and Helen Daughtry were farewelled by a group of family and friends at Adelaide Airport on Wed. 11th March. The trip to Chicago, USA was a ‘marathon’. They had stopovers in Melbourne, Sydney, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Denver and arrived safely but very tired in Chicago at 12.30am in the middle of the night. At the time of travel, Sarah was nearly 8, Randy had just turned 6, Jeremy was nearly 4 and Jonathan was 16 months old. Helen had completed her secondary school study in 1986.

 

In mid March, Trevor Harris was bed ridden for a time with a back condition. This caused him to reflect deeply on the then current state of Jireh with a demise in the leadership and Jireh Community in general.

 

While the Graetz family were in the USA, Anne and Simon Lathlean and their two children lived in the community house at 55 Sydenham Road. They wanted to be closer to St. Bartholomew’s Church and the developing schools outreach ministry with Rainbow Club. Anne was a performer in the Easter ‘87 Primary Schools programme called “Fun is Not a Dirty Word”, which was written and directed by Steve Daughtry. The other cast included Rod Boucher, Dani Boucher and Liz March.  The music was composed and performed by Gerry Holmes and set design by Helen McNicol. “Fun is Not a Dirty Word” was presented at numerous schools in the eastern suburbs of Adelaide.

 

In a letter from Jesus People USA, Chicago on the 14th May 1987, Mal Graetz wrote to Trevor and Maureen Harris in Adelaide:

….Maybe God is dispersing Jireh people into different ministries with different emphases. I am not afraid to let ‘Jireh’ go, but it would grieve me if we failed to recognise each other and what God had built over the years. You are both precious to us and we love you very much. I guess my greatest fear of leaving Jireh was for concern of you both, especially Trevor. All I can say is, I encourage you to be faithful to God no matter what ‘dark’ horizons there seem to be. When it's all boiled down, we have the strength through God’s Spirit to stand firm and not throw off restraint for the sake of ‘getting even’ with whoever or whatever. God is Light and in Him there is no darkness. We are Children of the Light.

God has been enabling us to serve in lots of ways [at JPUSA], not in the spectacular, and to see if we can ‘do all things without grumbling and complaining’. It would be easy from our experience to point out all the weaknesses here, but we must be ‘quick to listen and slow to speak and slow to become angry’. We are not here to just listen to His Word but put it into practice. We are truly ‘religious’ if we love the poor and underprivileged. It's not very glamorous, but what profit is it if we only help those who will pay us back.

Jesus People USA is not much different to Jireh Community. People and problems are the same. People come and go, especially singles. Single parents need constant encouragement, brothers and sisters need constant reconciliation, leaders need to regularly exhort the flock, worldly habits need challenging and the weary body and mind needs resting.

I still feel that our overall approach in Jireh has been too negative. I'm aware that God hates sin and we are always exhorted in Scripture to live ‘rightly’. We have proved ourselves corporately in the past to be able to testify greatly to God's grace. The Christmas ’86 schools witness was a recent example. I think some of ‘the words of the Lord’ in the form of Scriptures [that have come over the years] were not tested rightly. Do the Old Testament verses reflect the New Covenant life we are living now? Somewhere I sense that the New Testament ‘freedom' is being lost by the inability to lay aside ‘the weights and burdens’ that come through counselling. There is a balance between showing compassion, weeping for the lost etc and having a sound mind which will cause us to rest and sleep with a peace of mind.

 

Trevor Harris circulated a notice dated the 20/9/1987 calling for  a meeting on the 19th October to address the current “impasses and demise” evident in Jireh Community. The date was subsequently changed to the 27th October. Peter King and Trevor had met with Glen Heidenreich and Brian Hanson from Manoah Community to discuss the way forward. “God’s Kingdom is one of accountability - let all things be decently and in order”. Decisions needed to be made about assets held in trust by Jireh if the group was to disband. Peter King decided to submit to Trevor Harris as elder-leader of the group. 

 

An Agenda and notes were circulated by Trevor at meeting on the 27/10/87 at the Harris home. 

Those present: Liz & Peter King, Anne Daughtry, Helen Gainer, Peter Brown, Jack McNicol, Des & Cherie Fellowes, Jeff Byerley, Josie Hogg, Helen McNicol, Tom & Debbie Brown, Trevor & Maureen Harris. Apology: Chris McNicol

Personal comments by Trevor Harris on “Have We a Future?” were read at the meeting.

Since the Graetz family headed off to the USA in March, there was “no continuing meeting of leadership” and “no meeting in an organised form”. While bedridden in March 1987 with a back complaint, I [Trevor] found myself asking, “Lord - has this community a future?” The answer seemed to come, “Only if you keep my commandments”. What are the commandments? “To love God with all your heart, mind, and strength and love your neighbour as yourself”. That also includes loving our “Christian neighbours”. The question of “judgement” also arose - “we are not the judges, but rather discerners of God’s judgements”. The only answer to “judgements” is to be at peace with “The Judge”. Every Christian group is called to “live the Gospel” as well as “preach the Gospel”. “True judgements always lead us to grace and mercy - not alienation.”

 

Geoffrey Bingham had encouraged Jireh - “not to be introverted, but to reach out and 'aim for the mark'. Judgements are related to falling from grace.”

 

Glen Heidenreich noted, “Ten years is a long time in community. You are lucky to have gone so far compared to other groups. I am sure Satan will try to knock you off.”

 

Jo Hogarth, who was to start officially as rector at St. Bartholomew’s Anglican Church in 1988, commented, “There is a need for Christians to develop Christian Community as part of their lifestyle. It is a valid part of any parish life and I would encourage it.”

 

In a letter dated 12/10/1987 Mal and Jenny Graetz wrote to Trevor Harris: 

Please give our greetings to all attending the [above] meeting. Our prayer from the heart is that we can continue our brother/sister relationships as part of God's precious family even if people are leaving or being called to other ministries. As far as we know, we have searched our hearts before our Father in heaven and can honestly say we don't hold resentments against our Jireh brothers and sisters. We have tried to be reconciled to those who we feel we have experienced strained relationships over the last year. We want to continue serving the Living God - there is no other way to go anyway! What sorry people we will be if we try to fill our lives with pleasure, material possessions and human recognition. Jehovah Jireh is our provider, we hope he continues to be yours too. We love you.

 

Helen Gainer, who moved in with the King family after their renovations were complete in 1986, penned a few words leading up to the above meeting: 

One thing I feel of vital importance before we can press on [in our new adventure] is the question of the King family. Why can’t they meet with us, worship with us? They have not committed some terrible crime that they should be ostracised like this. Who are we to stand in judgement - we are all sinners. I think it’s time the witch hunting stopped and love, forgiveness, understanding and graciousness began. We cannot begin anything new with such division in our ranks.

 

Mal Graetz’s reflections:

It was very difficult for a spouse when a marriage partner was at odds with others in Jireh Community. It was as if they were being 'punished' for their partners actions. In reality, people with a ‘prophetic’ gifting often come under criticism when they speak out to the Body of Christ. The Apostle Paul in the New Testament scriptures had his fair share of opponents both from within and outside of the ‘community faith’.​