On Sunday, December 5, 2004, MorningStar Fellowship Church will meet for the first time in its newly acquired facilities at Heritage International Ministries (formerly Heritage USA or PTL). As was discovered this week, our opening services will be exactly seven years from the day that the facilities were closed on December 5, 1997. Services will be held in the lobby of the Grand Hotel at our regular Sunday service times of 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.
For a period of time, this property was one of the most famous in the world. According to some, it was the third most popular vacation spot in America. It then became one of the most infamous properties in the world, with scandals involving its founders, Jim and Tammy Bakker, who became worldwide symbols of the failure of the modern church. This sparked many evaluations of the modern church, from both within and without. Some of the most candid and open self-examinations of its problems came from Jim Bakker himself and his highly acclaimed book, I Was Wrong, which became an international bestseller.
Even so, after Jim Bakker resigned, attempts to keep Heritage USA functioning by several other ministries all failed, and the property was finally put into bankruptcy, again becoming worldwide news. This seemed to once again symbolize to many the church’s inability to correct its own problems and its spiritual bankruptcy. The property was then acquired by a Malaysian corporation from the bankruptcy court, who also made a valiant attempt to rejuvenate the property as a Christian conference center. When this failed, they sought to promote it as a conference center not connected in any way to the church. This too failed. Negotiations for the sale of the property to other corporations and ministries also failed, and likewise became public news. With each failure, the stigma on the property seemed to deepen.
With the assistance and generosity of Coulston Enterprises, MorningStar Fellowship Church was able to purchase the Grand Hotel and Conference Center on September 27, 2004. After a little over two months of hard work by the staff of MorningStar and a host of volunteers, a temporary Certificate of Occupancy was issued to the ministry to use the lobby and offices of the Grand Hotel for its church services and small conferences. It is the goal of the ministry to have the entire hotel and conference center fully restored and functioning by the end of 2005.
We know this will not be an easy task, but we know it is an important one to which we have been called. Even though MorningStar enjoys a very positive reputation throughout much of the body of Christ worldwide, including many Christian friends in the Charlotte area, some are everything from skeptical to outright afraid of our devotion to seeing the prophetic ministry restored to the church, as well as the restoration of this property. This we expected, and we do not expect it to easily change, but in due time it will.
When we moved some of our ministry to a small mountain community over seven years ago, we were met with a great deal of hostility by some Christians there. Some even accused us of being a cult, quoting some of the more outlandish things that had been written about us on the Internet. However, as one reporter investigating us recently confessed, it is now hard to find anyone in the area who now has anything negative to say about us. The more they got to know us, the more they realized that the things we had been accused of were not true, and now they really like us. It seems the worse the accusations are the better we end up looking when people see that they are unfounded. We expect the same to eventually happen in Charlotte, though it could take a little longer.
The PTL debacle deeply traumatized the church in Charlotte and for many, the wounds have not been healed. The fears of some toward anything new or different seem to have digressed into a deep paranoia. The main local newspaper, The Charlotte Observer, is very liberal politically and has developed a reputation for being anti-Christian. Therefore, it does not seem able to cover Christians or conservative politicians without at least trying to make them look foolish, and it has an obvious agenda of keeping the past wounds of the PTL collapse agitated.
As stated in a previous bulletin, we knew that taking on this project would be the most difficult thing we have ever done, and, at least for a time, we expect it to be in a relatively hostile environment. However, this too has already begun to work in our favor. When The Charlotte Observer did a recent front page article on us, giving a distorted view of who we are, which of course we expected, other pastors and Christian leaders began to contact us to encourage us. Some even expressed a desire to help. Unfortunately, The Charlotte Observer has developed such a unfavorable reputation with Christians that being treated negatively by them is something of a badge of honor now.
Even so, other news coverage of us from the Charlotte area television stations and other newspapers seem to be devoted to both fairness and accuracy. Also, the local governments and business communities have been very encouraging to us, and the hospitality of the people in the area have been very generous. Even the article in The Charlotte Observer, which we felt was unfair and inaccurate in its portrayal of us, seemed to portray us as fairly as they could. So much of the media is simply so blinded by its cynicism now that they simply see everyone in the most negative, skeptical terms, except, it seems, for liberal politicians.
This being said, for good or bad, we have the attention of the Charlotte area concerning this project. Of course, we hope what we do will help to bring healing to the church and maybe even some hope and faith to the critics of Christianity. However, we know this will take time, and fruit that is unquestionably good will come from this project. Therefore, more than trying to do this work fast, we are trying to do it right. As we rebuild the physical facilities, we want to always be examining our own hearts before the Lord, asking Him to restore in us His image.
In places the facilities had considerable damage from leaks and general deterioration from being unused for so long. However, in other ways the preservation of the buildings and their infrastructure seems almost miraculous. When the restoration is completed, we expect to have facilities worth more than ten times our investment. In many ways we believe that this is also a symbol of the condition of the modern church. It may look very bad from the outside, but it is in much better condition than almost anyone thinks, even Christians.
On the day we purchased the property the appearance was appalling, and a terrible depression seemed to hang over everything. Almost immediately after the work of restoration began, the change was dramatic. Most of the damage was cosmetic. Though it may have looked bad from the outside, the infrastructure was sound because it had been built using top quality materials. Quickly, its potential became obvious. In many cases it even expanded our greatest hopes and is going to be even better than we ever thought. In the first days we wanted to leave the property as fast as we could, which is how many feel about the church. Within a couple of weeks there was such a different feeling there that we did not want to leave. To us it was like the manifest presence of the Lord.
The same is true of the modern church’s reputation. It may still look and feel bad from the outside, but most of its problems are cosmetic, and the infrastructure is far more sound than most think. There is something very encouraging about the work of restoration. The restoration of mankind and the earth, from all the consequences of the Fall, is the most fundamental work of God in the earth. Just as the restored temple was promised to have a greater glory than the former, something restored tends to have a greater value than something new.
It is not just a coincidence that our first meeting at H.I.M. will be held exactly seven years to the day after its doors were shut. It is time for this property to be restored and returned to the body of Christ. However, we still have a long way to go before this task is finished, but our goal is to see weekly, tangible progress until it is.
Presently we are working on a “pay as you go” basis, as donations come in for the restoration of the property. Though the total bill for restoration is estimated to be between three and five million dollars, it seems that there is a great zeal within the body of Christ to see this work completed and generous contributions are starting to come in.
As Robin McMillan pointed out at our recent Harvest Conference, when the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed, and the people were carried into captivity into Babylon and it was time to rebuild the temple, we do not know how many remained in Babylon because they are not heard from again. But those who arose and returned to Jerusalem were numbered even down to how many animals they brought with them. These were recorded in eternal Scripture as a memorial to them. There does seem to be a special place for those who give themselves to restoration because this is so fundamental to the work of God.
This is not to imply that the restoration of Heritage is as important as the rebuilding of the temple and the walls of Jerusalem by Ezra and Nehemiah, but it is important. I could not help but to take special note of the people who resolved to be a part of its restoration while the task looked so daunting. We know there will be many who have a “wait and see” attitude, for which we do not blame them. However, there is a special bonding that takes place with those who join with us in the work while the difficulties are still before us. The bonds that are formed in times like this are the ones that last.
I feel that our Charlotte area congregation is composed of some of the finest people I have ever seen gathered together. A high percentage of them actually moved to Charlotte to be a part of the church here. These are ones who esteemed their place in the body of Christ above jobs, professions, and in some cases, even being close to family. We are becoming a family, and we have possibly the highest percentage of people involved in ministry teams of any church I have ever witnessed. It is probable that most of these will be with us until the task is finished through whatever trials, discouragement, misunderstandings, or other problems, which are sure to come when anyone seeks to restore that which has brought reproach to God’s people. However, we know there are more who will be joining us in this work. If you are one of these who feel called to join with us in this work, you can help us in the following ways:
PRAYER
We were shown before we took this project on that it would be the biggest battle of our lives, and we would face the same attacks that Nehemiah did when he sought to restore that which was bringing reproach to God’s people. We need prayer for encouragement, endurance, wisdom, and discernment, and for all who have joined together to do this work. Above all, we ask for the favor and grace of God.
If you, your prayer group, or church are going to be praying for us on a regular basis, and you would like updates on the progress and significant events that take place in relation to this project, please contact:
Keala Elston
intercession@morningstarministries.org
DONATIONS
We need about three and a half million dollars to bring the property to like new condition. We will then need about five million more to develop it into the ministry center to fully meet the needs of the schools, churches, and ministries that will be using it. This will give us a property worth over ten times as much as we will have invested in it. If you would like to join with us in this work of restoration, you can give a one-time gift or join our partner’s fellowship, MorningStar Partners, by giving as little as $15 per month or $150 a year. A gift of $100,000 or more qualifies you for a lifetime membership in MorningStar Partners.
In joining MorningStar Partners you can designate all or part of your donation to go to H.I.M. Funds that come in through Partners donations, which are not designated are placed into the general missions account of the ministry. About one-third of this will presently go to the restoration of H.I.M.
Because King David, who was said to be a man after God’s own heart, established that those who stay with the baggage should receive the same reward as those who go to the battle, we consider the members of MorningStar Partners to be our co-workers in the gospel. Not only are our Partners becoming a true fellowship within the ministry, but Rick Joyner personally writes a letter to them each month to share the innermost workings and reasons behind ministry actions. MorningStar Partners also have their own special hospitality room at MorningStar events, and will also have one at H.I.M., where they can meet with the MorningStar leadership team, as well as each other.
To join MorningStar Partners, please call our toll free number at 1-800-542-0278, and request that a form for joining MorningStar Partners be mailed to you. Or, if you would like to make your donations by credit card, please give them your information and the amount that you want to donate each month. You may also discontinue these donations at any time, with no explanation required. For more information about MorningStar Partners, please contact:
MorningStar Partners
mst@morningstarministries.org
(803) 802-5544, ext. 229
PLANNED GIVING
For information on planned giving through wills, living trusts, gift legacies, etc., through vehicles which you can receive a tax deduction now and ensure that part of your estate be used for the work of the Lord after you have gone on to join Him as a member of that “great cloud of witnesses,” please visit our website at: www.morningstarministries.org and click on “Planned Giving.” Or, to learn more you may also contact:
Graham Pitt
giftplanning@morningstarministries.org