Jesus Freaks in Venice Beach

They were both on the stage and in the audience.

The Jesus Freaks in the band and other strange birds listening. Venice Beach, 1975.

If you've ever been there, you know it's more than a motley crowd made up of serious drug pushers, prostitutes, transvestites, muscle men and other purveyors of oddness.

(On a recent California trip walking the beachfront sidewalk with my teenage boys,  I over heard two guys talking about needles and the previous night's narcotics exploits. It took me a minute to realize what I had overheard on my unassuming stroll).

Venice Beach now and then.

Back to then. You could tell who the Jesus people were by their faces. They had a glow, a light, a tranquility that was visible in each feature.

Some local youth pastors and volunteers came to reach out alongside.

It was part of a Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa sponsored concert circuit that trailed up the California coast to USC, UCLA, UCSB and various beaches. This was one of them.

Maranatha Music and Calvary had sent their bands: The Road Home, Mustard Seed Faith, Aslan and Bethlehem. Anyone around that time would recognize the people there: Oden Fong, Pedro Buford, Lewis McVay, Rick Conklin, Bill Sprouse, Ed McTaggert, Diana Hershey were just a few of the musicians.

 Some played inside, some on the public beach stage where passers-by could view the music and message.


My husband Tim Shaw brought the message to a rowdy, jeering, shouting bunch. But he stood firm and spoke despite the hecklers and hooting.


One band by the name of a character in C.S Lewis Narnia series, was so disturbed by the kind of people there, they left before the altar call, leaving it music-less. I'm sure  they had their reasons.

Amid shouting and jeering, the bands played, the message was delivered.

And some listened.

After the music and message, many came up front to talk
to pray
to hang out.

One guy kissed Tim's hand and said,
"I didn't just kiss you, I bit you."  Then introduced himself as the devil.

Tim sort of laughed saying he never thought meeting Satan would be like this.
"I imagined this moment, but never thought the devil would look like you, " he joked.

Those were the kind of eccentric, off-beat, unbalanced, peculiar folks frequenting the boardwalk.

But some of those people walked away differently
as a result of
the truth spoken
the love shown
and the music played
by all those
Weird.
Jesus.
People.