Jim Palosaari
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One of the leaders in the Jesus Movement of the 1960s and 1970s, pastor an evangelist, James Michael "Jim" Palosaari, a second generation Finn, was born in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and grew up on a goat farm near Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. Palosaari spent his early adult years in the Chicago theater, and eventually became a Christian through the late '60's Jesus movement in Seattle with his future wife, Susan Cowper, daughter of LA County Health Department's Herbert H. Cowper M.D. Together, they helped form Linda Meissner's Jesus People Army and were discipled by her. After Meisner had the Jesus People Army join up with the Children of God Jim, then living in Wisconsin, flew out and tried to dissuade her, but was unsuccessful.
Jim and his wife Susan went on to start a number of communes, including Jesus People Milwaukee, which dispersed to become Christ is the Answer under Bill Lowrey, JePUSA in Chicago under Dawn and John Herrin, and Jesus People Europe. Jesus People Europe included the commune's first band, "The Sheep." During the Milwaukee period, Jim's wife, Susan, edited the commune's paper, "Street Level," which eventually became "Everyman" when the group settled in London. In Europe, Sheep eventually became the back-up band for Jesus People Europe's rock musical, with stories made from testamonies of the original group, "Lonesome Stone," financed by UK millionaire, Kenneth Frampton. Together with a British national the three started the largest Christian music festival in the world, Greenbelt, which still was operating in the early 21st century.
Back in the United States, the Palosaaris formed a second commune in BC, Canada, calling it the "Highway Missionaries," which traveled around North America evangelizing, calling the church to repentance, and living communally. They often traveled about showing the movie Brother Sun Sister Moon, about the life of Saint Francis of Assisi with whom Jesus Freaks greatly identified. An abortive record company and the rock band Servant also came out of the Palosaari's efforts, and was the first Christian rock band to use lasers or have an extensive light show. They in turn gave Petra their start. Eventually this group settled in Grants Pass, Oregon, on land next to the Applegate River, where they honed their deepening interest in developing Christian community, and were supported through farming, tree-planting, and procuring (gathering of food via dumpster-diving).
Three years into this new community, the Palosaari's 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. A year later, the Palosaari's took themselves out of ministry to study with YWAM on the island of Hawaii for one year. Susan became a teacher in the Klamath City School District after their divorce in 1994, and eventually remarried. She now edits books and costumes for local theatres in Ashland, Oregon. Jim moved East, and is now remarried and working in an export/import business.