The Certain Sounds, under the direction o f Mr. John Gustafson, Minister of Music, First Baptist Church of Van Nuys, California.
PRESENTING CHRIST IN A NIGHT CLUB
by AI Sanders
O NE HARDLY thinks of a plush night club in the heart of Palm Springs, an affluent Califor nia resort area, as a location for Gospel services. While it might be far from the ordinary place, yet with vision and determina tion this is exactly the manner in which the Lord led. It all began when Mr. Jim Schilling, Christian layman from the desert spa, and a member of the local Palm Springs Commu nity Church, shared his concern for the thousands of teenagers who annually migrate to the area during Easter week. As area leaders prayed about it, they contacted Dr. Harold L. Fickett, Jr., pastor o f the First Baptist Church of Van Nuys. A meeting was set up for the group to meet with Dr. Fickett and John Gustafson, minister of mu sic at the Van Nuys Church and well-known Christian recording artist. Endeavoring to find a po tential location for their distinc
mary thrust was to present the challenge of Jesus Christ in an age of moral and spiritual declen sion. Fifty-five young people, trained and assisted by Campus Crusade for Christ, were desig nated to share their Christian witness with the thousands of teenagers who came through Palm Springs during the week. Local merchants provided free refreshments. Each afternoon one section of the building was given over to a “ coffee house” setting. The young people sat around the tables where born-again youths shared their Christian witness. They showed the purposefulness of a life indwelt by God’s Holy Spirit. As a result o f this person- to-person ministry throughout the week, more than two hundred teenagers made a profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The impact upon the lives of the young people who came to miinster was evident as well. At the conclusion of each perform-
tive ministry, they thought of the well-known Chi Chi Night Club. It is situated right in the heart of the metropolitan business dis trict. Although the facility had been closed, the owner finally agreed not to rent the building, but rather to donate the facility to them for the week. Without question, the program had to be contemporary and ap pealing. Over the past years Mr. Gustafson has developed an out standing musical program involv ing choirs and choral groups for every age. His “Certain Sounds” collegiate cho ir from the Van Nuys Church prepared special numbers appealing to young peo ple of all ages. It was their re sponsibility to present three per formances every night. Crowds ranged from 300 to 400 at every performance. It was not just to entertain young people, however, that brought the prayerful concern to all of those involved. The pri
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