LETTERS Jesus Army
Sir: I was astonished by Janine Di Giovan- ni's account of the Jesus Fellowship Church and the Christian community which forms a major part of the Fellowship (`Jesus lives in Bugbrooke', 3 August).
Leading off with a sensationalised account of three tragic deaths, she states that the common factor was that they were of 'disgruntled members' of the Jesus Fel- lowship. Her innuendo was clear: there was some connection between being a disgrun- tled member of the Fellowship and death. But the facts are different.
It has never been previously suggested that the three men referred to were 'dis- gruntled'. One of them was not even a member at the time. Furthermore the coro- ner specifically remarked at the inquest of David Hooper: 'I really cannot find any suggestion that the Fellowship could have caused or contributed to this young man's death'.
At the other extreme her comments about 'grim 1970s style clothes' could almost be laughable — they left me won- dering what exactly was so grim about those bad old days — but again they're just not true.
It is very strange that she should refer to the 'rank and file who dress in second-hand clothing, the sort you would see in Oxfam', when she saw for herself how new clothing was purchased by members of the commu- nity.
There are many other misleading state- ments and material inaccuracies in the arti- cle — with reference to 'arranged mar- riages', 'family rifts', and 'taking over busi- nesses and souls'. And when she refers to `vague glazed looks' and claims that 'they all say the same thing in exactly the same tone of voice' it can only be read as an attempt to portray the church as a Moonie- type cult.
The truth however is that the Jesus Fel- lowship Church holds to orthodox Christian doctrines, and is part of the evan- gelical/charismatic sector of Christianity. The Fellowship is responsible for the Wem- bley Praise-Days which have brought together several thousands of Christians of various backgrounds in a demonstration of evangelical Christian unity. These events have received support and greetings from a broad spectrum of Christian leaders.
The Jesus Army — the outreach identity of the Church — is highly regarded by many for its work on the streets of Britain's towns and cities. Multitudes of young men and women who were once homeless or trapped in vice or drugs are grateful for the material and spiritual help they received from the Jesus Army.
Many hundreds of them each year visit our Christian community for a short or long stay — belying the claim that once here it is difficult to leave!
John Campbell
Communications Officer, Jesus Fellowship Church, Bugbrooke, Northamptonshire.
Janine Di Giovanni writes: To have published some unflattering obser- vations about the Church may seem a poor reward for the hospitality I received at Bug- brooke, but the Church must accept that the impression it makes on some visiting journalists will not always accord with its own image of itself. For my part, I accept that the coroner at the inquest into David Hooper's death specifically discounted the possibility of any link between his death and the activities of the Church and this was doubtless reflected in the inquest's ver- dict of accidental death (which was record- ed in my piece).
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