California Girlfriend

APRIL 1973

There were 3 places I went to for fellowship in Peteluma. The first was a large Assemblies of God about 30 miles North. Even though I went to that church two weeks I do remember beginning tithing there (on a regular basis). I had been getting progressively convicted (feeling like the Holy Spirit was tugging at me) but was waiting for a worthy work to give my money to. I don't remember what happened, but I do remember that I got very convicted one day about dragging my feet and judging that some "work" deserved my money, while the church I attended wasn't good enough or something like that. From then on I religiously gave my 10% to whatever church I was attending.

After a couple of weeks at the AG I decided to stay closer to home so I went to a small Christian and Missionary Alliance church in Peteluma. The CMA was not a Pentecostal or a Charismatic church, it was a very normal quiet but nice church in downtown Peteluma.

During my first day at church, I noticed a girl with a black eye in the back of the church who kept looking at me. No doubt a small church like this offered little opportunity for dating material. I may have been the only eligible bachelor to have walked through those doors for years... no wonder she kept on looking. I didn't mind it though, she was nice looking and I introduced myself to her and she invited me to have lunch with her and her family. I LOVED her family - mom, dad (who worked on the Golden Gate bridge), little sister, Grandma and Grandpa. I hung out at their house from then until I was stationed elsewhere. I did date her officially, but I loved her family so much that I sometimes felt disappointed leaving her family to go out on our date.

The 3rd place I visited to fellowship was a Jesus' Hippie community. It was a house where Christian hippies lived and fellowshiped. They had a Pentecostal flavor and were young, carefree hippies. On one occasion we all went up North to a river and swung on ropes into the water from a hill on the side. The foliage made the river and its surroundings picturesque.

I found out early on that there was a lady at the CMA church that did not like the Jesus' Hippies and the story I was told from both sides was definitely one for the books... but then that's for my next blog.