The youth meetings that my sister and I attended were held in a nicely exposed lower level of a Lutheran Church.
The meetings were led by church members Chuck and Sharon Mueller who had a gift for relating to teens. An adult group was also meeting at the same church under the leadership of the senior pastor. Both groups were growing, and a number of people today can trace spiritual roots back to these simple meetings.
But, there were those in the church who were uneasy with the fact that some people meeting there were not members, and they were also concerned about reports of miracles, healings, and speaking in tongues. So the church convened a special meeting to vote on whether they would allow this to continue. We were all invited. After much debate, a vote was taken. The result was that we were asked to leave, as was the church's pastor, Walter Lamp.
When the adults left, they started a new non-denominational church, and named it Church of the Living Water. It was meeting in the same building on Second Avenue in Rockford where First Assembly got its start.
Walter Lamp became their pastor, and I attended there for a while, as did my father. We enjoyed their quiet spirit and miracle working faith, and I also came to see similar qualities in my dad.
These were people who prayed for the impossible and often saw it happen. One elderly couple would come almost every week with amazing testimonies of doors that God had opened for them to minister to others, and also of miracles 41
that God had done for them that week. On one memorable occasion, I recall that a blind woman who lived in the neighborhood visited and asked for prayer. When people prayed for her, she became very excited and claimed she was able to see!
Galilee House
When the youth group left the Lutheran church, we had nowhere to go. The Church of the Living Water, while fine for Sunday services, was not their idea of a great place to hang out. For a while we met in Chuck and Sharon's living room while we prayed about what to do next. It was the mid 1970s, and it seemed every town in America had a Christian coffeehouse. So Chuck and Sharon talked to friends, raised donations, and soon we opened our own coffeehouse. It was located in two storefronts on the southwest corner of Kishwaukee and 15th Avenue in Rockford.
We painted the name Galilee House on the windows, and prepared to host singers and bands for events on Friday and Saturday evenings. I helped strip the floors of tile and lay down natural wood planks for flooring. I also participated in making tables from Electric company cable spools, and helped build, stain, and varnish a plywood food bar. Future Congressman Don Manzullo helped us gain non-profit status, and before long we were open for business on Friday and Saturday evenings.
Soon, Christian artists were coming from all around to entertain in front of multi-colored floodlights. We served free popcorn, and soda pop was also available. The result was that the place was often packed.
At one point, the coffeehouse held a baptismal service on the bank of the Kiswaukee River. I chose to be baptized then, and after years of procrastinating I experienced a deep sense of satisfaction in the knowledge that I had finally submitted to the will of God. •
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