The late 1960’s were culture changing in America and Great Britain.
February 7,1964, Pan Am flight 101 landed at JFK International Airport in New York City and was welcomed by four thousand screaming fans.
The modern day British invasion of America had landed, as the Beatles disembarked, a new era of music was launched.
1964 also saw the rise of the LSD culture.
Professor Timothy Leary was the father of LSD, after he was fired from Harvard University. Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters began traveling across the USA in the psychedelic bus “Further” bringing their “electric Kool-Aid to the youth of America.”
The Hippie culture was “turning on, tuning in, and dropping out.”
American youth were protesting the Vietnam War by “making love, not war.”
The Beatles released the psychedelic album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1967.
That summer between 75,000 and 100,000 Hippies gathered at the “Summer of Love” in the Haight-Ashbury area of San Francisco.
Several people experiencing a call from God began converging on the west coast at the same time.
Don Williams on staff at Hollywood Presbyterian Church started a coffee house, “The Salt Company.”
“The Living Room”, also a coffee house opened in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco, led by Pastor John McDonald and two born again hippies, Ted and Elizabeth Wise.
Tony and Sue Alamo, Jewish record promoters who were born again in 1967 began a street ministry.
Duane Pederson began publishing “The Hollywood Free Paper” a Jesus People newspaper. Hundreds of hippies were coming to Christ and were being baptized in the Pacific Ocean. It became known as “The Jesus People Movement.”
Although there were many segments, the consistent theme of this new move of God was, “There is only one way” and there was a strong emphasis on the Holy Spirit.
While this counter culture move of God was happening among the hippies another move of God was taking place unexpectedly.
Father Dennis Bennett, pastor of St Mark’s Episcopal Church of Van Nuys, CA announced on Palm Sunday 1960 and again on Easter Sunday that he had received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, just like the Apostles on the day of Pentecost.
Two professors at Duquesne University were thirsty for more of God. They began seeking and were given a copy of The Cross and the Switchblade and They Speak With Other Tongues.
They received the baptism of the Holy Spirit in the fall of 1966.
They invited twenty-five students from the university on a three day Holy Spirit retreat in February 1967. Each student was to read the Book of Acts chapters one to four and the book The Cross and the Switchblade.
There was a mighty encounter of the Holy Spirit that weekend and many received the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
The experienced jumped from Duquesne University in Pittsburg, PA, to Notre Dame University and then to Michigan State.
The Catholic Charismatic Renewal was ignited.
The convergence of these three movements, the Jesus Peo
