In 1971, having experienced personal conversion several years earlier and a return to active participation in the church we, Angie and Chris Malmgren, sensed a call to a more active ministry – but it wasn’t clear what direction that would take. We had been involved in supporting the work of St. Francis Renewal Center and really loved doing retreat work. Through a series of circumstances, most of the staff was transferred within a matter of months and the Renewal Center ceased to function as such. It was out of our experience of formation and service under the guidance of a prayer servant of the Lord that the vision for Jesus House began. The prayer group that was meeting in the monastery began meeting in our home. One of the priests who was transferred from the St. Francis Renewal Center suggested that we write a proposal to run their seminary in Staunton, VA as an apostolic center, and he would make the presentation to their Provincial. When we prayed with our prayer group and our spiritual director, both felt we should pray for something to evolve in Delaware. And so, in the spring of 1974, after seeking God’s direction through Father Hanley, we put the whole idea into the Lord’s hands and asked God for a sign. The next day Chris received a phone call from a representative of a new and innovative testing program for schools. Chris agreed to meet him for lunch. He asked Chris if he would present the program to one of his clients. On a handshake they agreed that Chris would earn 17% of whatever he sold. That afternoon, during the meeting with the new client they decided to purchase $759,000 of materials, earning a commission of $132,825. After taxes we had $75,000 to place in a non-profit foundation for the Lord’s work. From the spring of 1974 through October of 1974 we searched far and wide for the perfect place for Jesus House – which was to be a “house of prayer for all peoples”. Finally in October, without planning, about 15 people showed up the evening before we were to be shown this place. We had looked at many properties before but this was the first time that so many people just stopped by to see how our search was going. We knew something was up, so we began to pray and God spoke to us powerfully from Isaiah (Isaiah 56: 6,7*) about a house of prayer and about His provisions for us and for His people in this area.
Several of the people there agreed to go with us to the property and pray while we met with the realtor. We knew this was the place. So we offered what we thought we could afford. The owners turned us down because they had received an offer of $40,000 more than we had offered. We were disappointed and felt that our discernment must be all wrong. Where was God in this whole thing we asked ourselves? We were so sure that this was the place. So we did what we could do – we kept on looking, and praying that God wouldn’t let us make a mistake – we wanted to be good stewards.
On April 3, 1975, the realtor called and asked us to rebid our offer on the Milltown Road property as the sale had fallen through and she felt our bid would now be accepted. She was right. They did accept the bid. Praise God! On June 30, we settled on the property.
From June 30 through July 19, the date of the first retreat, hundreds of people from Cursillo, the Charismatic Renewal, and the local parishes came and cleared the yards, planted flowers, painted and scraped and wallpapered and sanded and re-laid floors, put in bunk beds, purchased materials to outfit the kitchens, baths, bedrooms, etc. They were wonderful. Angie can tell story after story of the miraculous events of those first few months where people would show up with just the skills needed to complete a job. People were delivered from cigarette smoking – many other healings took place – youth groups came and serenaded the workers and did some great fetching and carrying for everyone. The people from St. John the Beloved Prayer group, led by Jean and Dan Coyle, brought food every day for the workers.
During the first year, we lived in the main house and renovated the garage into a conference building – it was used for a Montessori school that first year. That was a very painful year because although there were wonderful retreats and programs, which the Lord blessed, the people who began with us had a very different view of the mission of Jesus House. They wanted to form a Church and as we saw it, we were already part of a church. We saw our ministry as a complement to the church. There was a very painful separation, but it led us to clarify what we believed God was calling us to do. Our family moved to the bungalow on the property so the main house could be used for overnight retreats. We have remained true to the original mission of Jesus House – to provide a house of prayer for all God’s people.
The original chapel, in what is now the small dining room, was quickly outgrown because of the numbers of people coming to our retreats, bible studies and seminars. I (Angie) had a dream that the Lord wanted a chapel on the property and I was given the plan for it, that it should be post and beam, like the old barns in Lancaster County. Chris said that we were about to pay down the mortgage and we couldn’t afford to do it. We would need the work of a civil engineer to do the preliminary work for county approval and we would need seed money to begin the project, neither of which we had.
In the meanwhile, a young woman who was teaching at St. Mark’s and attending our prayer meetings was going to Medjugoria and asked us if we had any prayer requests she could take there. Angie’s was that a chapel would be built on this property. When the young woman returned, she told us that she and the priest she was with were ushered into the sacristy, and the visionaries told her that the request would be granted.
A man who was attending a bible study led by Father Hanley on Acts of the Apostles, was so taken with our ministry that he offered to do anything that he could to help us. Chris asked him was his work was. He was a civil engineer – on the spot he committed himself to getting the plans through the county and doing all the preliminary work needed to comply.
We also needed seed money in order for the bank to extend our current mortgage. I asked Father Hanley if he thought that the Catholic Diocese Foundation would give us a grant of $25,000. He said, “Angie, they don’t even give parishes that much at a time.” He suggested asking for $5,000-10,000. But I felt that the Lord was suggesting $25,000 and so I submitted the grant application for that amount. They approved it!! We were on our way to building the Chapel of St. Joseph the Worker. (named for St. Joseph who was also a layman.) This took place in 1987. The chapel was dedicated to St. Joseph on his feast, May 1, 1988.
Once again we began to feel the pinch and needed more space for accommodations. After exploring for several years, an architect from our parish, Trish England, donated her services and recommended her colleague to do the plans for our next 2 buildings: Bethany and Emmaus Retreat Houses. Now we just had to get the money. We raised almost $100,000 over 3 years’ time, but the bank still wouldn’t re-negotiate our mortgage.
So once again, we applied to Catholic Diocese Foundation. The Foundation sent us a letter which stated that if we raised another $50,000 within the next 6 months they would match it! We felt that it was impossible!! At the Board meeting after we read the letter, John Gray, essentially in a prayer told the Lord that the board members had done their part over the past 3 years, and it was time for Him to get working for them. By the next board meeting they had received $50,000 from the Laffey-McHugh Foundation. They copied the check and sent it to the Foundation Board and shortly afterward received a matching check from the Foundation for $50,000. We went to the bank and the young man who had been working with us had been promoted and he immediately approved the loan application. Bill Krayer, a board member, was the overseer of the project. Another wonderful Christian man, Troy, who was a supervisor for Blenheim Construction, loaned us his sub-contractors and leaned on them to give Jesus House the discounts they gave Blenheim. It was just a wonderful set of circumstances, people, and timing that came together to prove to everyone involved with Jesus House that “nothing is impossible for God.” The Board then painted the inside of the buildings, hung blinds and valances, and eventually added on screened-in porches. We are still awed as we walk around the property at times, and see the marvelous work of God. Praise Him!
Angie and Chris Malmgren, Jesus House founders
*Isaiah 56: 6 And foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, to minister to him, To love the name of the LORD, to become his servants— All who keep the sabbath without profaning it and hold fast to my covenant, 7 Them I will bring to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer; Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on my altar, For my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples (New American Bible, Revised Edition)