HISTORY and TIMES of THE KINGDOM

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   The Kingdom - West Coast

Editor's Preface: There are those who will say that what follows is none of our business.  After all, we, the editors, have left the Kingdom fellowship, and no longer have a vested interest in its fiduciary activities.  We beg to differ.

One of the primary reasons, if not the primary reason for departing that group of professed believers was the double standard practiced by leadership with regard to ethics and morality.  There was a time when we were naive enough to believe that Kingdom leadership practiced what they preached.  Those days are long gone.  We, the editors, find the behaviour of both the Kingdom and, later, the California center leadership outrageous with regard to their decision to sell a church and distribute those assets back to the church leadership in a biased and "behind-closed-doors" manner.  Only after being pressured from the outside was a statement issued by the California directors regarding the disposition of those funds, and even when this was done, all of the particulars were not released.  All existing and former Kingdom members who gave freely for the construction and sponsorship of the Golden Gate Chapel had an interest in that center, and as such have every right to know how those finances are carried forth or are being redistributed in the Lord's name.  If any of this discussion causes embarrassment to any member or minister, than they should ask themselves why that is before attempting to shoot the messenger.  As always, we invite input or corrections for errors with regard to any of the specific details stated below, and retain the right to reprint any communications made along those lines.  It is our desire to present an accurate and truthful history as to what transpired with the closing of the former Kingdom center and redistribution of the church assets in California.

The Editors.

In the fall of 2000, the former west coast center of the Kingdom disbanded and began to re-distribute its assets.   Located in Dublin, California, it had since 1998 been independently incorporated as "The Golden Gate Chapel".  The church and parsonage facilities were built in the late 1980s while the congregation and its pastor were still officially affliated with The Kingdom.  During the 1990s as The Kingdom underwent its own uneasy time of self examination, many of those who fellowshipped there left for various reasons.  In 1997, while the Kingdom was reorganizing its internal leadership structure, the decision was made by the Kingdom directors to fund the retirement of the local pastor through the sale of that property, when that inevitable eventuality came about.  After consultation with a local law firm to confirm the legality of their approach, the church was placed on the market in 2000 by the local Board of Trustees for $1,100,000, and sold that fall to a Korean Seventh Day Adventist Church.  It is our understanding that the local directors disbursed the funds, at least in part, as follows:

1) $100,000 to the Kingdom Christian Ministries center at the Fairwood Bible Institute for a new fire protection sprinkler system

2) $45,000 to Shiloh Chapel, Durham, Maine for building maintenance fund

3) $300,000 to the California center's pastor for his retirement

4) $75,000 to a previous pastor, currently residing in Washington State (see below)

Most of the remaining funds were placed in an account designated for further Kingdom Ministry retirement needs as the directors see fit.  Some has been earmarked for future west coast church investment.

This spring the following letter was mailed to those people in the former Kingdom's California congregation :

Dear Friends,

Jesus is still the King of His Kingdom! He is coming again to receive His Kingdom and the worldwide work of restoration that must take place before His return continues.

Although the organization known as The Kingdom has gone through a restructuring, there are still many who have loved Kingdom ministry and honor the things that the Holy Spirit wrote on our hearts through it. While some have felt called to join other churches or to establish independent ones, some of us have felt called to band together to carry on the same Kingdom ministry that we have known and loved. We have organized under the name The Kingdom Christian Ministries and include church groups in eight localities as well as individual families living across the country. We feel that Kingdom ministry is scripturally valid and something that God is calling us to continue.

Bill Abram has felt God's call to continue Kingdom ministry. As leaders of The Kingdom Christian Ministries, we recently felt led by God to anoint Bill Abram to carry on pastoral oversight for all those on the West Coast who want to continue a connection with Kingdom ministry. Bill is willing to keep contact with all who want to stay in touch. He is working with us to cooperate with God in whatever future ministry He may call for on the West Coast. We heartily support his efforts and are seeking for God to gather up all the hearts of those who still appreciate and love Kingdom ministry. If you are at all interested, please call Bill Abram at 253-770-0568 or e-mail him at "billnmarg1 @juno.com."

Whether or not you feel God is calling you to keep a connection with us, we love you and pray for you and would love to visit you or have you visit us.

With love,

Joseph N. Brown, Sr.
David H. Murray
Neil R. Sandford

For further details, go to The Kingdom Retirement Committee's Report