Interesting news item. Of special interest is the idea Morningstar’s leadership asked it not be made public.
Old PTL hotel owners face June demolition
County urges ministry to ramp up renovations
York County again is giving a deadline to the owners of the old Heritage Grand Hotel – who want to convert it into a retirement facility – to make it safe to live in or the county will demolish it.
MorningStar Ministries’ $40 million plan would convert the 21-story ramshackle hotel into what the church calls a “Refirement Center.” Instead of retiring people, the facility would “re-fire” them back into the ministry.
The building was one of the centerpieces of Heritage USA, the now-defunct Christian theme park built in the late 1970s and 1980s. It stands on property once owned by Praise The Lord ministries, which crumbled when televangelist-founder Jim Bakker was caught up in a sex scandal and later convicted of fraud and conspiracy.
Since 2004, MorningStar has worked to restore the 345 rooms, suites and office spaces of the old hotel.
So far, though, the ministry hasn’t been able to get enough people to commit to buying into the retirement facility – which has made it more difficult to get the financing the ministry needs to bring the building up to meet county safety codes.
County officials say MorningStar is past a previous six-month deadline to hold up its end of the bargain.
The council voted Monday to notify MorningStar of the new deadline, threatening to demolish the building if it isn’t up to code by the end of June.
“If they can’t convince us they need more time, it’ll have to be torn down,” York County Council Chairman Buddy Motz said Monday. “They’ve passed their time for renovations.”
If the county moved to demolish the building, it would “cause irreparable and significant financial hardship” to MorningStar Fellowship Church, the ministry’s vice president Dave Yarnes wrote to the county in a Feb. 17 letter.
MorningStar also asked the county not to talk about the dispute publicly until the dispute is resolved.
Sola Dei Gloria 
Very interesting turn of events. Could it be that the Lord is resisting their efforts to ‘restore’ the old PTL site?
The thought went through my mind too Steve.
I also wonder if the lack of money to make the renovations might explain Rick Joyner wasting no time getting Todd back on center stage at Morningstar.
Yes you can only beat a dead horse..I mean a tax write off for so long…
I love that one comment on the newspaper’s site which said that Jesus said He would build His Church; but Morningstar is trying to build ITS church. See the writing on the wall: God is not providing resources for this thing. So much for the long-predicted transfer of wealth.
There’s no lack in God for what He initiates. It’s shameful for “ministers” to whine about financial lack.
Joyner is thinking “we need Lakeland 2.0” now due to this!
Rick, it sure looks like that was his plan.
Joyner sunk alot of personal capitol into Bentley, including setting up his new Morningstar TV to high-light Todd’s meetings. Logic says he looked to personally gain ($$) from it in the end.
I get the impression that this newest so-called outpouring is not living up in anyway to all the hype. Not like Lakeland did…
I read over at the website tonight they are now including a special night called the children’s outpouring service.
Great catch, BTW!
http://www.benedictionblogson.com/2010/03/03/why-todd-bentley-may-need-a-revival-right-now/
🙂
now come on friends – who wouldn’t want a life like this
http://towerlife.org/index.php/a_day_in_the_life_at_heritage_towers/
Ah…yes! LOL!
yeah I know its somewhere between The Truman Show and Stepford wives….
ahahah… Jan, that clip is hilarious. 🙂
The Truman show, LOL!!!!!
My first thought too was Todd’s rush back into ministry. Not all may be lost if the recent special prayer meeting on Main Street by Morningstar members is anything to go by – according to heritageusaandptlupdates.com those same members prayed for the strongholds to come down that are delaying the tower’s restoration. That should sort it.
Hopefully in that God moves and it gets demolished.
Watching the video Jan linked to brought back bad memories of when so many people were scammed out of their money when the hotel was run by the PTL org.
I don’t see why Joyner & Co. are concerned that their money problems be made known. They are the ones who have preached over and over that the money of the unrighteous would come to the righteous.
I just see this as God giving them their heart’s desire. Now that their prayer’s are being answered they are surprised to find out they are the unrighteous.
Hey Rick, how’s that 7 mountain thingy working out for ya? Better have Lance over for another round of teachings.
According to the latest morningstar video w/R.Joyner, Todd & his wife have been working on a doctrine of divorce over the last 5 months. So much of RJ’s videos have no meaningful content..not really telling us what’s going on….just how wonderful things are. He says that the e-mail response regarding all of this has been 99% positive, with just 2 e-mails not being so. How can this be with so many of us out here totally against this restoration? I just do not understand this.
Also, obviously no man can make up a doctrine of divorce…that was done many many years ago & presented to all of us in the Bible!
I GUESS THEY NEED A MIRACLE THAT COMES WITH A SPECIAL ANNOINTING ATTACHED TO A GLORY CLOUD.
Or better still
A slice of reality spread with a layer of love and a sprinkling of truth.
Rick ‘what you created ‘ is now creating you.
Time to take stock buddy
If it does go under, I wonder if the people that have invested in the retirement place will get their money back? I am retired and in this day and age one has to be very careful with their money.
They better do something with that tower. It is an absolute eyesore. For example, you drive through Regent Park. While driving you see people walking the trail, people playing golf; it’s a really nice place live. Once you cross over the railroad tracks it all changes. You see a giant building which is way out of place; its ugly, derelict and not to mention the road which runs by it could have been used on the set of a world war two movie and this faded out miniature castle which is kind of creepy. I live across the pond from Moring Star and have a perfect view of that UGLY building every day. Honestly, I would like to see that thing drop in a pile of dust, yesterday! However, I have a few friends who have put their money down on a couple units in that building. I have a feeling that if the county drops it my friends could possibly not get their money back due to some ridiculous clause in the contract. Personally, I have a bad feeling about some of the things that go on in the administrative area of Morning Star. It seems too coincidental that “Money Bags Bentley” is up and about again, Morning Star is past its 6 month deadline and Rick is saying how everything is going great! People need to think for themselves and not be brainwashed into forking out money to this organization.
[…] older newspaper story from back in March, paraphrased this as being an issue. I’m adding emphasis: Since 2004, MorningStar has worked […]