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Gospel Outreach was a Christian Church which emerged in Northern California in 1970 as part of the Jesus movement. Originally located at Table Bluff, in Humboldt County, California, 4.5 miles (7.2 km) south of Fields Landing, at an elevation of 318 feet (97 m) on a bluff adjacent to the Pacific Ocean, the local movement still exists with a school and Church in Eureka, California which was completed in 2009.
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Lighthouse Ranch
During the 1960s, members of the hippie counterculture sought a simple life; many were drawn to areas away from large cities and getting back to the land. "Lighthouse Ranch" was an abandoned Coast Guard station, 11 miles south of Eureka, California, situated on the hippie trail that then extended along the west coast of California. The ranch was acquired by real estate agent and pastor, Jim Durkin who purchased 8 acres (32,000 m2) of the surplus Coast Guard property from Norman Kenneth Smith, an evangelical minister, in 1970. Renamed "Lighthouse Ranch," it became a stop over for young adults seeking spiritual direction. Young travelers visited, some stayed, building alternative dwellings such as geodesic domes out of wood, and working the land. Building plans were published in the Whole Earth Catalog as part of the Back-to-the-land movement.
The ranch was subsequently owned by Sabine Ball a German evangelist and manager of social projects who, in later years of her life, returned to her roots in Dresden, Germany as a Christian evangelist.
Church Growth
By 1972, Gospel Outreach Lighthouse Ranch had grown to almost 300 members. The group started attending a local Assembly of God church in Eureka called Deliverance Temple,and asked the minister Jim Durkin to lead Gospel Outreach. Within a few years the Lighthouse Ranch sent out planting teams all over the world. Throughout the 1970s and 80's, missionary teams established churches in Palmer, Alaska, Chicago, Brooklyn, New York, Silverton, Oregon, Philadelphia, Germany, United Kingdom, Nicaragua, and Hawaii. With 100 affiliated churches worldwide the Gospel Outreach network is one of the denominational legacies of the Jesus People Movement. One of the most important components of this legacy was the group's involvement in Guatemala. Former Guatemalan president Efrain Rios Montt attended Gospel Outreaches' Verbo church in the capitol city. He was called back to the presidency during a military coup. There have been unsubstantiated claims of native genocide by the military under Montts' administration, based on survivor reports. However it was a well known practice of the Marxist guerrillas to wear captured military uniforms and weapons, as they slaughtered villagers in order to inflame anti-government sentiments among the villagers.
Central Message
In the 1970s Jim Durkin preached a pivotal message "God's Purpose And Vision for your Life" that was very similar to the message later developed by Rick Warren. Durkin also emphasized repentance, as in a need for a follower of Christ to experience a "turning away' from past wrongful behaviors. This concept was readily understood by young people who had recently identified themselves as hippies.
Durkin practiced what he preached, as he himself was a compassionate, humble, encouraging and caring individual who emphasized the importance of considering the needs of others first, and the personal growth of each individual. The name "Gospel Outreach" reflected the words of Jesus, "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel (good news) to the whole creation."
In Literature
Two nonfiction books were written featuring the experiences of individuals involved with Lighthouse Ranch.