"THANK YOU FOR BRINGING JOY AND HAPPINESS TO US ALL AT RIVERVIEW PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL. YOUR MESSAGE WAS UPLIFTING."
-HOSPITAL PATIENT
From jail and prison chapels around New England, to store front missions in Kentucky; From summer camps in Canada to the indigenous community that lives in the Quito, Ecuador city dump; from an orphanage in Juarez, Mexico to pastors’ conferences in South Carolina; from the Crow reservation in Montana to the streets of Santo Domingo, DR, from Children's Day celebrations in Asuncion, Paraguay, to the rural villages of Uganda, the Supreme Court Jesters have been bringing their creative Gospel program everywhere the Lord has opened doors for over 35 years.
This ministry was once comprised of the five Hagerstroms: Richard, wife Susan and their daughters Jona-Lynn, Naomi and Rose. The girls are now grown up, but Richard and Sue continue to use a combination of juggling, illusions, humor and skits to present the Gospel to people of all ages and places in life. While some of their material is geared toward children, they are actually more accustomed to minister to adults or multi-generational w audiences. It is because of this diversity in their material that the Supreme Court Jesters are just as comfortable ministering at a local VBS or in the library of the local state prison. Furthermore, they have many routines designed to encourage, convict and challenge Christian audiences as well.
While still single, in 1985, Richard Hagerstrom, a one-time circus performer, began to envision how God could use his juggling and illusion skills to point others to a relationship with Jesus Christ. Soon afterwards, he and Susan married and Sue’s artistic, organizational and creative skills were a perfect complement to Richard’s performing. In 1991 they received the “Vision New England” award from the Evangelical Association of New England for their evangelistic efforts around the northeast. The following year, they were nominated for a Jefferson Award for outstanding community service.
In any given program, audiences will be delighted with routines in which the Jesters may juggle balls, rings, clubs, machetes, hats, basketballs, a variety of fire props and more. Their illusions are all created to glorify God and point others to a closer relationship with the Lord.
God used you in such a mighty, mighty way at the FCCM convention... We were so heavy laden with wondering if we missed God somewhere. And then, praise God, came your showcase. What a total blessing! God had heard our cries and sent encouragement to us through you." -Tina Hillstrom, musician