Charismatic Renewal Comes to Reba (1971-1979): The
Vision of Healing Power
In 1971 Reba members took the then radical step of approving
Virgil Vogt's sense of leading that he should quit his job with the state mental
health system and be available full-time for pastoring and other leadership at
Reba. Some months later he returned from a charismatic renewal conference
convinced that Reba needed to hear the teaching of Rev. Graham Pulkingham,
rector of Church of the Redeemer in Houston, Texas. Others from Reba who talked
with Pulkingham confirmed the proposal.
Graham's powerful teachings and direct prophetic words to the
gathered Reba community had a transforming effect. Many individuals experienced
a season of spiritual healing and renewal. Personal devotions and corporate
worship became much more free and expressive. Speaking in tongues and words of
prophecy broke forth in our midst. A new willingness to give testimonies and
talk "evangelistic" talk appeared. The variety of gifts in the body was
strongly affirmed, as was the role of designated leadership. The ministry
households at Graham's Church of the Redeemer in Texas were a powerful model of
fruitful life together; several Reba households formed. Certain old-timers
found the changes to be too much and moved on.
The heightened spirituality and intensification of life and
leadership roles during the 1970s brought blessing to many, but they also
revealed the very real dangers of grandiosity and group conformity. Certain
households and pastoral relationships became authoritarian and coercive. At one
point it seemed that almost everyone at Reba was living in one of the twelve
households. The excesses and violations which occurred were a reflection of
several elements: faith that almost anything was possible for those who
believed; overcrowded living arrangements; lack of wisdom about the need of
persons and families for space and varied accountability arrangements; unduly
strong leadership roles; and much more.
