They had established their craft school to help young artists, but with a secondary aim to lead some to the Lord. But even though they did have students and taught crafts, no one seemed to be interested in hearing about the Creator of all mankind. So, with more than a little disappointment, they closed the school and set their minds on other things.
These were the days of the Charismatic Renewal, and God was pouring out His Spirit in unusual and miraculous ways. They did not want to miss anything that was happening -- anywhere! One spring they attended a five-day retreat held at Blue Lake in Alabama by a Christian group called Camps Farthest Out (C.F.O.). Their eyes were wide with the wonder of it all. Even more so when they were invited to be on the council ring and leaders of the daily event called "creatives". This program was focused on using art to inspire shy and introverted people to share themselves with others. Through chalk and paper, pens and pencils, songs and poems, they helped people see where they stood in the Lord.
Over the years the Bristols made more and more camp visits all over the Southeast and even to Wisconsin and California. One year Byron became the National Chairman of C.F.O. It was at one of these camps that the Bristols met someone who would change the course of their lives forever -- Jeanie.
It is impossible to describe Jeannie. She had to be experienced. She was so filled with the Spirit that she actually glowed! But she was a girl who needed a home, and had none. Byron and Esther felt led by the Lord to invite Jeannie to live with them, and that was the beginning. Jeannie brought hoards of students to visit the Bristols' house. She attended different churches and invited whole congregations back for cocoa and cookies! This was rather alarming at first, but Byron and Esther gradually grew to thank God for the ministering opportunities Jeannie created.
Even after Jeannie married and left the Bristols' house, people kept coming! Jeannie had introduced a young man named Rocky Doddridge to Byron and Esther. Soon he was bringing some of his friends to their meetings and they were leaving as new creations in Christ!
The college kids from the University of Florida were looking for a strong Christian couple to gather around. They had found the Bristols. The students began looking to Byron and Esther for leadership in their spiritual walk, and they felt most inadequate to minister to them. The couple began to get deeper and deeper into the scriptures and attended many Christian meetings and conferences, seeking out God's will. One day while driving Byron was wrestling with what he had been learning. He had seen great and wonderful things in the past few months, but had also seen hypocrisy in many Christians and was confused by it. He cried out to God then and there, praying, "How do I become a Christian?" And he got an answer, "You become a Christian in community." But what did that mean?
The Bristols were still selling enamel on copper art, but after this episode the pieces began blowing up in the kiln for no apparent reason. No matter what they did, it seemed as if everything they made was ruined. When they had had more than enough of this, Byron asked God what was going on. Once again God spoke to him, saying, "Get this stuff out of here, I want this place for people." Byron, being a man of action, cleared it all out on a weekend and started making bunk beds.
College students began pouring in. They found the Bristols' house a safe haven from the pressures of the world and a place where they could grow in their faith. Guys lived in the studio building and girls crammed in with Byron and Esther in their small home. The Bristols gave up their time, money, and privacy, but as Esther wrote, "The rewards far exceeded the price." One by one the students began asking Byron to be their pastor, so he was ordained and the Agape Fellowship Church was established. They embraced the Greek word Koinonia, which is roughly translated as "communion by intimate participation."
For the college students away from home, a sense of family was very important. Living and interacting with others on a daily basis gave them all a chance to get to know each other in very deep ways. When you cook meals together, work in the garden, eat, laugh, play, and pray together, as opposed to just meeting in a church setting, things can be dealt with more readily. Byron called it "accelerated Christian living." The students were able to see themselves as through a magnifying glass as God worked with them. Living in close proximity allowed them to see things about themselves that God wanted to deal with them about. Laurie Strong (now Desautels), who was part of the Bristols' Gainesville group, wrote: "In my many years since living at the community, I can honestly say I've never had the depth of relationships, except in my present family, that I had while living there. No friends have ever known me as well, nor I them, as the ones at the community."
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For the next 13 years Byron and Esther kept adding more and more space. They bought and moved in two more buildings, ending up with six apartments in addition to another meeting room. That still wasn't enough, so they purchased two large residences and a smaller house in the downtown area. They trained houseparents to oversee each house as it became a home-away-from-home for those who desired to live the Christian life.
The Bristols nurtured the students' fledgling faith, while at the same time teaching them to garden and raise animals. The Bristols considered gardening an essential part of living, and they taught the students to "work the ground from which they had been taken" as the Lord commanded Adam and Eve. The Gainesville properties resembled small farms with chickens, rabbits, fruit trees, vegetable gardens, and blueberry bushes. The students were learning to be spiritual warriors and at the same time good stewards of God's creation.
Even after Jeannie married and left the Bristols' house, people kept coming! Jeannie had introduced a young man named Rocky Doddridge to Byron and Esther. Soon he was bringing some of his friends to their meetings and they were leaving as new creations in Christ!
The college kids from the University of Florida were looking for a strong Christian couple to gather around. They had found the Bristols. The students began looking to Byron and Esther for leadership in their spiritual walk, and they felt most inadequate to minister to them. The couple began to get deeper and deeper into the scriptures and attended many Christian meetings and conferences, seeking out God's will. One day while driving Byron was wrestling with what he had been learning. He had seen great and wonderful things in the past few months, but had also seen hypocrisy in many Christians and was confused by it. He cried out to God then and there, praying, "How do I become a Christian?" And he got an answer, "You become a Christian in community." But what did that mean?The Bristols were still selling enamel on copper art, but after this episode the pieces began blowing up in the kiln for no apparent reason. No matter what they did, it seemed as if everything they made was ruined. When they had had more than enough of this, Byron asked God what was going on. Once again God spoke to him, saying, "Get this stuff out of here, I want this place for people." Byron, being a man of action, cleared it all out on a weekend and started making bunk beds.
College students began pouring in. They found the Bristols' house a safe haven from the pressures of the world and a place where they could grow in their faith. Guys lived in the studio building and girls crammed in with Byron and Esther in their small home. The Bristols gave up their time, money, and privacy, but as Esther wrote, "The rewards far exceeded the price." One by one the students began asking Byron to be their pastor, so he was ordained and the Agape Fellowship Church was established. They embraced the Greek word Koinonia, which is roughly translated as "communion by intimate participation."
.jpg)
For the next 13 years Byron and Esther kept adding more and more space. They bought and moved in two more buildings, ending up with six apartments in addition to another meeting room. That still wasn't enough, so they purchased two large residences and a smaller house in the downtown area. They trained houseparents to oversee each house as it became a home-away-from-home for those who desired to live the Christian life.The Bristols nurtured the students' fledgling faith, while at the same time teaching them to garden and raise animals. The Bristols considered gardening an essential part of living, and they taught the students to "work the ground from which they had been taken" as the Lord commanded Adam and Eve. The Gainesville properties resembled small farms with chickens, rabbits, fruit trees, vegetable gardens, and blueberry bushes. The students were learning to be spiritual warriors and at the same time good stewards of God's creation.
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Norma Jean finished high school in Ft. Lauderdale and, following in her parents' artistic footsteps, won a scholarship to the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida. After this she went to the University of Florida, eventually becoming the university's art director.
Norma left Gainesville to stay with Sue in New York for a summer and went to work as a waitress. While at the restaurant one day she served a young man from Switzerland named Hans Fischer, and they began to talk about stained glass of the Middle Ages. This was Hans' special field of interest, and Norma had been doing extensive research on window iconography and design for making fiberglass windows. They had a lot to talk about, and Hans asked Norma out on a date. Neither of them had much money, but for a nickel each they were able to have a wonderful time, taking a boat out to Liberty Island and picnicking out in the warm sun. When Hans returned to Switzerland, they kept up a correspondence.
Here is a piece of Esther’s writing:
One day Norma raced through the house announcing, "He's coming! He's coming! He's coming for Christmas!"
"Who's coming, Norma?" Startled, I looked up...she had our full attention.
"He's coming, he's coming!" That distant, dreamy look was in her eyes that usually occurred when she received her daily letter from Switzerland. It wasn't difficult to imagine the purpose of this Yuletide visit.
Hans did arrive laden with Christmas gifts from his country. Swiss chocolate and cheese, hand blown tree ornaments, books and calendars of Alpine scenery and hand carved wooden figures for mantel decorations. He spoke perfect English and fitted right in to our family Christmas. Included in the holiday festivities was the engagement announcement. As we had suspected, Hans had come to ask Byron for his daughter's hand in marriage.
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