Jim Palosaari

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

One of the leaders in the Jesus Movement of the late 1960s and 1970s, evangelist, James "Jim" Michael Palosaari, was a first generation Finn whose father emigrated through Ellis Island, N.Y., born in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Palosaari grew up on a goat farm near Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, where he attended Oconomowoc High School, and spent early adult years in the new Chicago theater. During the late '60's Jesus movement occurring in Seattle, Washington and throughout the west coast, Palosaari, along with future wife, Susan Cowper, became a Christian in the beginning of the Jesus Movement. Discipled by Russell Griggs and Linda Meissner, they formed the nucleus of the Jesus People Army, establishing outposts in Yakima and Spokane, Washington, and Vancouver B.C. In 1971, Meisner and Griggs' joined their communes with the Children of God. Jim, then establishing another group in Wisconsin with new wife, Susan, flew to the coast in an attempt to dissuade Meisner and Griggs from that merger.

With enthusiastic support by local Christians, Jim and Susan began a coffeehouse on Brady Street in the heart of hippy Milwaukee, a commune, and paper. In one year the group now known as the Milwaukee Jesus People had outgrown three houses, and was living in an abandoned hospital. By spring of 1972, the couple was able to send 60 disciples to join Bill and Sara Lowery's tent ministry, Christ is the Answer (CITA) based in Davenport ID, and a team of 30 disciples under the leadership of Dawn and John Herrin's family, including the band Charity, later to reemerge as JPUSA and "Rez Band". A small crew was left to run the Milwaukee base. Earlier revivals in Racine, WI, and Duluth, MN, now became autonomous communes. That summer, the Palosaaris and thirty others flew to Sweden as guests of the Full Gospel Businessmen's Association. Jim formed the band Sheep, singing in English and Finnish, and the group toured for the next six months through through Western Europe, including Denmark, Finland, Germany and the Netherlands, with substantial time in Finland, where Jim preached in Temppeliaukion Kirkko, the Stone Church in Helsinki.

The group entered Great Britain by the invitation of Kenneth Frampton's Deo Gloria Trust, and recent Russell Griggs, to participate in an expose of the cult, Children of God. Based now in England as the Jesus Family, Jim formed the formed the rock musical, "Lonesome Stone," a musical testimony of the early "Jesus Freaks." The musical opened at London's Rainbow Theatre, eventually touring Great Britain and American air force bases throughout Germany, as well as Canada and the American Midwest, before closing four years later. While in England, Jim, Frampton and British national, James Holloway started what was at one time the largest Christian music festival in the world, Greenbelt.

A year later, the Palosaaris and Owen and Sandie Brock, also from the Europe-based ministry, met to form a communal ministry on Vancouver Island, B.C., Canada, calling it The Highway Missionary Society. They used street evangelism and showed the movie Brother Sun, Sister Moon, about the life of Saint Francis of Assisi. Jim put together the rock band Servant, which was the first Christian rock band to use lasers or have an extensive light show. It eventually produced 6 records and traveling throughout the U.S., Canada, and Great Britain, giving Petra their start. At this time Jim also began an abortive record company called Rooftop Records. Eventually the large communal group settled in Grants Pass, Oregon on land next to the Applegate River, where their interest in Christian community was supported through farming, tree-planting. Jim was the head elder, and ran the community with a council of elders, encouraging the group in his beliefs in community, poverty, and evangelism.

In 1981 the Palosaaris suffered a vital blow to their family and ministry when their eight year old son, Seth, died in an automobile accident with two other members of the community. Two years later, the Palosaaris with their two remaining sons took themselves out of ministry for a year to study and work with YWAM on the Big Island of Hawaii. Returning to the mainland, Jim worked in Texas with CITA, which he would continue to return to periodically over the next decade. He also promoted new Christian rock groups, including Newsboys, PID, and Whitecross.

In 1993 Jim and Susan divorced, with Jim eventually marrying Susan Mattson. Jim worked extensively in charitable fundraising, and narrated for the movie "Frisbee: The Life and Death of a Hippie Preacher", the story of one of the earliest and most well-known Jesus Freak leaders, Lonnie Frisbee. The edited movie showed on San Francisco's KQED November 19th-23rd, 2006, and was released in DVD form in January, 2007.

On March 16th, 2008, Jim suffered another loss, as Susan Mattson died from a sudden infection. On June 2nd Jim began working on the narration of another documentary, focused on the live of Larry Norman.