Friday 29 May, 2009

UK

No fanfare, no procession. But thousands are expected to attend his funeral

By Dee Pfeiffer

When Jesus Army founder Noel Stanton passed away peacefully last week after a long illness, there was no publicity, no fanfare and none of the treatment dished out to those afforded celebrity status, which is how he wanted it. A modest, affable man who shunned rather than courted publicity, Stanton never wanted to be famous, successful or awarded for his work.

His greatest reward was seeing the fruits of his labour, even though they weren’t for his benefit, but for the marginalised, lonely, persecuted and disadvantaged. Though many have never heard of him, he created a movement that has changed thousands of lives and the legacy he left lives on. Today, the Jesus Army has over 3,500 members in 24 congregations across the UK.

Noel Stanton was born on Christmas Day 1926. He grew up on his parents’ farm in Bedfordshire and went on to serve in the Royal Navy. It was during this time that a man approached him while he was in Sydney, Australia, and asked where he expected to spend eternity.

The question had such an impact on the young Noel that he became a committed Christian shortly afterwards.

Noel Stanton

After leaving the Navy, he studied at All Nations Bible College and became a Baptist minister. And in March 1957 he took up the role of pastor at Bugbrooke Baptist Church, near Northampton. A handful of members made up the congregation but despite throwing himself into his work, organising evangelistic campaigns, Bible weeks and missionary weekends, he was disappointed with the apparent lack of results and dwindling numbers. And he longed to be touched by the Holy Spirit.

Finally, in 1969, his most fervent wish came to pass. While praying alone, he had a spiritual experience that had such an impact it revolutionised worship at the small village chapel and they became part of the so-called charismatic renewal noted for its free expression of worship. And though there were many churches experimenting with communal living in the 70s, this was the only one that survived and flourished.

Noel wrote of his experience at the time: “It was so intoxicating, so exhilarating and so intense that I felt I was just not going to live anymore. I became filled with the intensity of God. This went on for hours. It was a tremendous experience of life and fullness from which I didn’t come down for a long time – and this was the changing point in my life.

“Things began to happen. What we had failed to do by strenuous endeavour came to pass without labour. The experience gave me the key to all my thinking, all my service, and all my life.”

Under Noel’s leadership, the group (renamed the Jesus Army or Jesus Fellowship in 1987) grew in size and expanded across the country. Many of its original members lived in communal houses and shared all they owned, a tradition based on the early church and maintained among its community members today. Many, looking for spiritual reality in an increasingly secular but broken world, have given up potentially lucrative and fulfilling careers and moved miles away from their homes and the lives they once knew in order to live a new life in community.

Community member Clive Timms from Leicester is married with a teenage daughter. He and his wife Annie have lived in community for 30 years. Having grown up in a comfortable Surrey environment, the decision to live a frugal existence wasn’t easy. His large record collection had to go, together with two cherished motorbikes. But Clive has never looked back and is now an elder in one of two Leicester-based houses. He says: “I saw a church that had caught hold of a vision and that vision caught hold of me and never left me.”

Alongside frugal living based on poverty, obedience and chastity, fellowship members determined to live a life akin to the gospel, which meant reaching out to the poor, marginalised, lonely and vulnerable. From bikers to drug addicts, ex-prisoners to the mentally ill, there were no sections of society the Jesus Army weren’t willing to reach. The emphasis on total commitment to biblical living and on the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit attracted people from far and wide. Young and old were witnessing a revival of joy, love and fellowship that was infectious.

But as with most organisations doing good work, its success came at a price. In 1986, following negative reports from disillusioned members, the Army was branded a cult by those who feared what they did not know, and the Baptist Union also expressed its concern as a result of which they left both the Evangelical Alliance and the Baptist Union.

The fellowship rode the storm until finally, in 1999, they rejoined the EA under their new name – the Modern Jesus Army. Noel built bridges with fellow Christian leaders and the fellowship went on to gain widespread acceptance and commendation for its work through its Jesus Centres of which there are now three, including a new centre in the heart of London and another shortly to open in Sheffield.

The Jesus Centres, provided through funding from the Army’s charitable trust Heartcry, support former prisoners by giving them work and stability, re-house the homeless, help new arrivals to speak and read English, support those involved in drug or alcohol abuse as well as providing food and support to the needy.

The ‘Jesus People’ continue to live in communities across the UK. Many others who don’t live in community still worship with them at least once a week. Members see themselves as radical Christians, seeking to help those many other churches have given up on. Not all pool their resources by putting their income into a common purse, but most endeavour to help in some way, either through financial help or practical initiatives such as work at the centres or street witness and evangelism.

_{Jesus Army Bus}

The organisation turns over millions of pounds in profits from its businesses which include a farm and Goodness Foods, both based in Northampton, but all profits are ploughed back into their many and varied outreach projects. All those working for the Jesus Army receive the same wages ensuring that no person is valued higher than anyone else. There is no favouritism in the Jesus Army – each person is seen as valuable and precious.

Today, many who know little about the Jesus Army are nevertheless familiar with the multi-coloured mini-buses and double-decker buses that bring hope and practical help to many city centres and increase the Army’s presence on the streets.

While many congregations are dwindling, the Jesus Army is increasing in size. By contrast with many churches, it also has a high proportion of men and young people. The Jesus Army provides its members with structure and stability through adherence to biblical morality and behaviour. With its emphasis on celibacy or marriage, there is no room for lax sexual behaviour; and with its emphasis on sharing and community, there is no room for selfish ambition or material wealth. Far from putting people off, youngsters are attracted in droves.

Noel practiced what he preached, living simply alongside others in the community, keeping the same standards he expected of members. He was both a visionary and a perfectionist. Although he realised nobody was perfect, he strived to develop a kind of heaven on earth through loving and caring for people.

He never married, but was a committed celibate, preferring to dedicate his life to Jesus Christ rather than share that commitment with a wife and family. Indeed, the fellowship hold celibacy in high regard and, unlike many churches who simply see celibates as those ‘waiting for marriage’, the Jesus Army maintain that celibacy is both a gift and, for some, a lifelong calling.

Noel led the fellowship into his eighties before handing over this year due to failing health. And under the leadership of Mick Haines, a member for over 30 years, five men will take over the role that Noel managed alone.

One ex-member wrote in tribute: “Noel Stanton was one of the most humble men I have had the privilege to meet, yet he contained an amazing power to love, inspire and make a difference…Without the love he had for God and people I would not be who and where I am today as a mother and wife and in a caring profession.”

Peter Cargill, 35, from Shropshire, grew up in the Jesus Army and says of Noel: “The simple community lifestyle he inspired, where everyone is equal and we all lived as one big family, was truly beautiful.”

Noel’s funeral takes place tomorrow (Saturday) just where he wanted it to be, at the Jesus Centre in Northampton, the centre of his ministry. He had everything prepared – all 26 instructions – including the nine songs he had chosen, and the order in which they were to be sung. And he will be buried in the Army’s own cemetery, in exactly the same way as other members – with no special plot or overly impressive monument. He will depart this life in the same way he lived it – humbly and with no more privileges than anyone else.

Photos: Used with Permission