Reformed Hippies to Attend Different Church Each Week
Daily Register, California
December 2, 1968, North America
HUNTINGTON BEACH—Pastor Dave Berg and his Teens for Christ will make a visitation today.
Berg said a substantial part of his group of 50 teenagers “are formerly hippies hung up on dope who have been delivered.”
Some of them, he said are still hippies and retain the garb of the hippie and when his group enters a church, the regular members generally appear somewhat apprehensive.
“But we are only there to express our love for them,” said Berg, a 6-foot man in his forties. “None of us is concerned with marijuana, pot, heronine, or what have you—we are cleansed, we are delivered from such things.
“Our marches to a different church each Sunday are a good-will gesture.
We meet at our hall 116 Main St. in Huntington Beach at 10 a.m. Sunday and we wait there for inspiration from God as to which church we are to visit. We never know ahead of time which church it will be, because God hasn’t revealed it. We wait until we are instructed by God. Then , at about 10:30 a.m. we instruct our drivers where to take us.
“What we want to do is show everyone that all hippies are not bad.”
“We do not visit churches to disturb people but only to show them we love them We have been greeted warmly in most churches. We love to meet people face to face.”
Berg said he came to Huntington Beach six months ago and opened his Teens for Christ center in downtown Huntington Beach where a meet-in and Bible study session is held every night from 7 to midnight.
The Teens for Christ group and other interested visitors sit around several circular tables about one foot from the floor and listen to the pastor and to each other.