Going Forward with Our IMC Vision

Note, this was the last section of the Presiding Bishop’s annual address delivered to the 19th Annual General Assembly on September 3, 2022. In the 18th General Assembly last year, we gave a detailed account of the historical development of our International Ministries Complex (IMC).

This included the original purchase of the old IGA supermarket building and the two plus acres of land it sits on here at 5512 Waterlevel Highway [Rt. 64 East going toward Ocoee]. There was an additional acre purchased in 2016 that adjoined the original property, giving us about three acres upon which to construct and expand the IMC.

The development for the entire complex continued to unfold between 2009-2014, envisioning three phases and an overall financial plan to complete the job and maintain the property and facilities.

We are reprinting below Section V of last year’s annual address (2021 General Assembly)— “Financing the Expansion and Development of Our International Ministries Complex” because it is concise and to the point in all the particulars.

Section V
“Financing the Expansion and Development of Our International Ministries Complex”
“Those who have gathered here this week are eyewitnesses to the working of the hand of God in the construction of this marvelous International “Ministries Complex. The original building was an IGA supermarket [built over 50 years ago] that later became an old greasy “chop shop” of junk cars. We purchased the building in November 2003, anticipating the restoration of the church in the imminent future, which happened only a few months later on April 20, 2004. Our faithful ministers and members have since then been “laborers together with God” in the on-going development and construction of this beautiful and adequate multi- complex. Your prayers, hands-on labor, and faithful giving have made this possible by the grace of God. (Let’s give the Lord and each other a handclap of praise).

“In 2009 mention was made of needing additional space to facilitate our International Staff and international events, particularly the School of Ministry, General Assemblies, and day to day operations in the offices. In 2011 we inaugurated “The Prophets’ Plan” to raise funds to expand our Headquarters operations and to make our vision of a Bible College become a reality. The Prophets’ Plan is based on the plan launched by Elisha to build a larger building to house “the sons of the prophets” recorded in 1 Kg. 6.1-5. In this plan each one of the prophets cut down a tree, hewed it out, and fit it in the new building. To mimic what they did, we estimated the cost of a tree including hewing it out and fitting it in place in our building.

​The estimation in modern currency was about $800. Our ministers and members responded generously and enthusiastically, and we raised in one year almost $90,000. Many gave an amount equal for two trees and some three and some as many as ten. The next year our people again responded well and gave about $70,000. With this money we took out a loan at the bank, and completely renovated the old IGA supermarket to facilitate the beginnings of our International Ministries Complex.

“The next year (2013) there were stirrings among us to build an Assembly Tabernacle. The aim was to restore not only the spirit, doctrine, and fellowship of the church, but to build again ministries and facilities that had been abandoned in our former fellowship; including the Assembly Tabernacle and the closing of Tomlinson College, both of which were grievously and reproachfully shut down or destroyed in the early 1990s. These things signaled to the “other sheep” and to the world at large that we were a dying church. We were going backward, not forward.

“One aspect of the Restoration was therefore to build an Assembly Tabernacle so that we would not have to depend on others for a place to have our General Assemblies and to avoid the continual rise in costs to rent facilities. But also, we wanted the comforts and conveniences of “home,” that is, we wanted to worship as early and as late as we wished and to have the right to turn our lights on and off as we wished, without being under the thumb and restrictions imposed on us by the owners of the facilities from whom we were renting.

“One more thing added to the equation of building an Assembly Tabernacle: it was generally taken for granted that our International Ministries Complex would not be complete without an Assembly Tabernacle. Accordingly, the Presiding Bishop recommended in the 11th Annual Assembly held in Knoxville in 2014 a financial plan to build a Tabernacle. It was called The King’s Plan because King Joash desired to repair the House of God during his illustrative reign, which had been broken up by the sons of the wicked Athaliah, the daughter of Jezebel. An excerpt from the annual address explains the plan.

“Now in order to build a Tabernacle, I am proposing that we receive an offering on a regular basis to finance this vision, using for a pattern Moses’ plan in Exodus 30.12-16 to build the Tabernacle in the Wilderness, which King Joash modified to repair the House of God in his day (see 2 Kings 12 and 2 Chronicles 24). To give “day by day” and “year to year” toward this fund (according to Joash’s plan), we simply need to incorporate it as part of the church’s regular financial system. The pastor or duly appointed Tabernacle booster could promote and receive once a month a Tabernacle Fund offering. We could design and make offering boxes to be displayed by the local churches in conspicuous places, and on the boxes write the inscription, “Tabernacle Fund—Let Us Rise Up and Build” or “There shall be a Tabernacle” (an allusion to Isaiah 4.6), or something to that effect. Then as the funds come in each month, the money can be counted by the local treasurer and sent to Headquarters with the regular monthly report . . . If this plan meets with the approval of the Assembly Business Committee, the committee can draw up a resolution to present to the Assembly for consideration and approval.
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“The ABC enthusiastically presented the plan to the General Assembly during the business session that afternoon and the Assembly adopted it unanimously. We were thus off and running zealously with the vision for a new Assembly Tabernacle.

​“But then certain things transpired that interrupted our immediate plans. First, the owner of the property that joined our property on the East side of our building suddenly decided to sell us his property in January 2016. After some negotiating [haggling] he agreed to sell it to us for $160,000. We then called a special Minister’s Council, virtually a special- called General Assembly (the first one in our history), and the Assembly agreed unanimously to put on hold our immediate plans to build a tabernacle to purchase this property: for we didn’t want to pass up the opportunity (see Annual Address in 13th Annual Assembly Minutes, 2016, pp. 97-100). The Lord helped us, and we wondrously paid off the indebtedness for this property and our earlier bank note on the original property in less than two years.

Second, we then agreed to build a two-story 10,000 sq. ft. wing onto our existing property to add much needed office and storage space for our International Office operations, and to house our envisioned Bible College and also provide better facilities for our School of Ministry Institute. This was the fulfillment of a vision cast in 2011.

Third, we decided then (15th Annual Assembly, 2018), to consolidate our Tabernacle Fund, Bible College Fund, and the existing construction loan, and all future construction loans into “one simple building fund account” and call it the “International Properties Building Fund” [IPBF]. (See Presiding Bishop’s Annual Address, pp. 66-68 and the ABC report, pp. 46-47). This resolution too was accepted unanimously by the Assembly.

“Joining together The Prophet’s Plan and The King’s Plan into the IPBF has worked marvelously for us. God has honored it because it is based on His own desire which He put in the heart of Moses, Elisha, the sons of the prophets, King David, King Solomon, and King Joash in their desire to build and repair God’s House.

“Now then, brethren, let’s pick up where we left off, turning our attention again to building an Assembly Tabernacle. To do so, we will have to work on two fronts: paying off our current loan which financed the new wing of our International Ministries Complex and at the same time raising funds for the envisioned Assembly Tabernacle. The Good News is we don’t need another financial plan. We have it! namely, The Prophet’s Plan and The King’s Plan which we have merged together into what we have designated as the IPBF: for this has proven to be a sufficient and inspirational financial strategy, one which God Himself has inspired, and one which Moses, Elisha, the sons of the prophets, and King David, King Solomon, and King Joash [called King Jehoash elsewhere] implemented during their respective reigns. We just need to implement this God-ordained strategy willingly and cheerfully.
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​“The IPBF has three important financial sources.

1) The church ruled in the 15th Annual Assembly in 2018 that since our Bible College will be the most formidable and utilized facility for teaching and training and sending forth of laborers to the mission fields, twenty percent [20%] of the funds received for World Missions is to be put into the IPBF toward financing the expansion of the International Ministries Complex” (note 15th Annual Assembly Minutes, pp. 46-47).
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2) A monthly offering is to be received in the local churches and sent to the General Treasurer with the regular monthly report (see 15th Annual Assembly Minutes, 2018, p. 47).

​3) Each year [“from year to year”] according to the example of The King’s Plan in 2 Chron. 24.5-14, note esp. v. 5 we receive a big jubilee offering toward this end—to build God’s house and keep it repaired.

“Finally, brethren, let it always be borne in mind in preparing to build an Assembly Tabernacle that [We need to] get in the spirit of it, like the sons of the prophets did in Elisha’s day, and the people of God in Moses’ day, and all of Israel did in King David and King Solomon’s days, and in King Joash’s day. There is nothing that we cannot accomplish together if we get in the spirit of it. That’s how the magnificent temple of God was built on Mount Zion [and kept repaired]. The House of God [the Temple] was first in David’s heart, and the vision and affection for it then took hold of the people of God. The spirit of giving got into David and then all the leaders and the people, and they gave in today’s currency more than two trillion dollars ($2,000,000,000,000) in gold, silver, precious stones, brass, iron, marble, and precious woods to build a house worthy of the true and living God! The account is given in 1 Chron. 29. The key to it all is shown in vv. 2–14, namely, they caught a vision of God’s house, and the vision conditioned their affections and will to make it a reality. David said, ‘I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God’ (v. 2); and the people then ‘offered willingly . . . and gave . . . to the treasure of the house of the Lord’ (vv. 6-8). And when all was given, ‘Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly . . . with a perfect heart to the LORD: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy’ (v. 9). And when Solomon built the house of God there was nothing like it in all the earth! (18th Annual Assembly Minutes, pp. 98-103).”

​The Marvelous Response of Our People and the Blessings of the Lord
The intervention of the Lord and the response of our people to the IMC vision has been remarkable and amazing, close to, I would say, the definition of a biblical “Wonder.” I believe the success of this venture has been because 1) the Lord is pleased that we are rebuilding and magnifying His house and 2) because we are raising funds to finance the development of IMC based on plans found in the Scriptures, namely, the “The Prophets’ Plan” (1 Kg. 6.1-5) and “The King’s Plan” (2 Kg. 12 and 2 Chron. 24), and Moses’ Assembly Tabernacle plan. The King’s Plan was virtually a modified version of Moses’ plan to build the Tabernacle in the Wilderness (Ex. 30.12-16).

In 2018 these financial plans were combined into a single fund and renamed [for simplicity’s sake] the International Properties Building Fund (IPBF). The whole financial plan for IMC thus consists in 1) the monthly IPBF offering received by the local churches, 2) 20% of the World Mission Offerings, and 3) the big special offering and pledges we receive at every Assembly toward fulfilling the IMC vision.

The second phase of the IMC—the two-story 10,000 sq. ft. Educational Wing—was completed in 2021 at the cost of approximately 1.4 million dollars. At this point the bank loan has been reduced to $770,000 based on the financial plan just mentioned. This means that more than $700,000 has been raised in three years and applied to the principle of the loan. Again, this remarkable achievement has been due to the vision and generous giving of our faithful people, and, of course, to the favor of the Lord!
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We are now working toward launching the third and final phase of the IMC vision, namely, the construction of the Assembly Tabernacle. Our strategy is to pay off the existing loan within three years, possibly earlier, and have everything ready to break ground for the final phase of the building as soon as the old loan is paid off.

After some preliminary considerations and discussions with several of the leaders of the church, and the counsel of city and county officials, everyone seems to be in agreement that the building should be an all-purpose facility adequate to meet the present and future needs of the church. The facilities will be designed therefore to serve not only for an Assembly Tabernacle [at least for the next few years], but also to meet the needs for the Bible college and other international events with a gymnasium and corresponding facilities [basketball court, work-out rooms, etc.], more office and storage space, and dormitory rooms for Assembly guests and accommodations for national overseers and missionaries

The IMC Committee held its first meeting on January 20th and discussed the general parameters of the project and some specifics for consideration. Several members were appointed to look into specific areas of consideration and report to the next meeting scheduled for May 18th at 6 p.m. in the office of the Presiding Bishop. Anyone wanting further information or desiring to give input into the project is welcome to contact the committee chairman or secretary, Anton Burnette (ph. 423- 716-5352; email: [email protected].

​Following Thru With Our Pledges
"For the zeal of thine house has eaten me up!” (Ps. 69.9)

We are still praising the Lord for the wonderful response we received in offerings and pledges given at the last Assembly toward the IMC— over $136,000. Thus far [as of January 12th] a total of $85,000 has been received and recorded by the General Treasurer. This leaves $50,000 outstanding. We want to encourage everyone who pledged to follow-through and pay-off his/her pledge. So much depends on it! We fully expect the Lord, according to His Word, to pour out His blessings upon all those who have so faithfully and generously given and/or pledged!

“. . . and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there will not be room enough to receive it" (Mal. 3.10).
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“Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God . . . Moreover, I have set my affection to the house of my God . . . Then the chief of the fathers and . . . rulers of the king’s work, offered willingly . . . And gave [“gold and silver and precious stones”] to the treasure of the house of the Lord . . . Then the peoplerejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they gave willingly to the Lord: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy” (1 Chron. 29.2-9).






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