03-03-03, 06:53 PM
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#61 |
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Director of Operations
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: Madison, WI.
Posts: 3,218
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Enriki, everyone's entitled to their own opinion... and I want everyone here to be free to express theirs.. but I think you could do so without being quite so harsh.
When you have an opinion, you won't get anywhere with it by coming off as rude.  |
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03-16-03, 12:47 AM
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#62 |
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New Member
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Near Windsor, Ontario
Posts: 10
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PTL Club
My wife and I have so many happy memories of the PTL Club. I believe it was 1983 when I went to PTL the first time. We were on a tour bus and the bus driver did not know where the studio was located (it was in North Carolina at that time). We were about 20 miles from the studio and we saw a couple of State Police cars on the side of the highway. We stopped and I asked the trooper if he knew where the PTL Studios were. He did not. The traffic on the highway was heavy. The bus driver got on the CB and asked if anyone knew the location of PTL. A voice came back, "are you the blue and white stage coach" and the bus driver said 10-4. The voice came back, do you see a black pick up truck three or four vehicles ahead of you? The bus drive said yes. He said, "follow me, I work at PTL and I'll take you there!" That was the start of a wonderful week-end. We stayed in one of chalet's on the lake. It, as well as everything else at PTL was first class. Dishes, pots and pans, toaster, coffee pot, comfy beds, dish washer!! On that trip the pyramid was not finished and there was a tarp covering part of the roof. The "barn" (Heritage Church) had been started and all that was there were the roof trusses. I have been there 5 or 6 times. Walking on to the grounds was like walking into the Garden of Eden and I eagerly awaited every trip there. I have stayed in most of the campgrounds. They were first rate as well as the comfort houses. They had first rate tennis courts, where you could play for free. Didn't have a raquet? No problem. Pay a small refundable deposit and you could get a raquet. There was a first class skating rink. The cafeteria had great food at good prices, and Uncle Henry sat at the next table to us and he came over and talked to us. We were blessed by being allowed to work the phone lines. We were there when the People That Love Centers opened, where people who were down on their luck could get home furnishings, clothing and food. We were there when the home for unwed mothers (what a beautiful place that was) had an open house before it opened. We wished we could have bought a home that was built on the grounds. They put on tremednous Passion Plays in the Amphitheatre. There was something going on all the times on the grounds. Minstrels, gospel quartets in the auditorium and the church. I have trod on every stone on the "Walk of Faith." I think one of my happiest memories was a July 4th week-end. Tammy Faye, Jim and Phil Driscol were on a barge in the lake. There was another barge that had been loaded with the thousands and thousands of prayer requests that had been sent into PTL. People were lined up all around the lake and each one had a candle. The lights dimmed and there was on spot light on Phil Driscol as he started to play the trumpet. The prayer requests were set on fire so the smoke could ascend into the heavens. Then the almost 100,000 people started to sing Aleleuia while holding the lit candles. Shivers were running up and down my spine and sobs were heard all around me. I though, "this is what heaven will be like." Then after that was a spectacular fireworks display. I was in the Welcome Center at about 2:00 a.m. one night. I was walking around the grounds taking night photos. A person down on his luck came into the Center and he was hungry and needed a place to sleep. He was taken care of and was given a voucher for breakfast in the morning! Another time I was taking photos and videos of the "Avenue of Lights" and the lights went out. A guard saw what I was doing and he said "hang on a minute" and he turned the lights back on so I could finish! I have seen Jim riding in the back of a car with plans and blue prints spread on his knees at 1:30 a.m. I went into the Upper Room at 1 or 2 a.m. and talked with the Pastor who was there to counsel people. He was reading his Bible and praying over prayer requests. There was a wall on which there were thousands of photos that had been sent in. People would come in and look at the photos and select one or two and lay their hands (fingers) on them and pray over the photos. There were also private cubicles so you could go in and pray in private. On the grounds was a "Quiet Room" which was actually a building, where you could mediate, read the Bible and pray. And as wonderful and peaceful as all that was, there seemed to be people that wanted to sow discord. The rumours of the huge costly diamonds that Tammy wore. I was in one service when she offered to trade her ring for a diamond ring where you could hardly see the diamond. Tammy told the woman that she would be cheating her, because her "diamond" was a fake! And her expensive clothing? She confided she bought them at K-Marts, two sizes too big so they would look classy. Then there was the rumour about the private swimming pool that was only open to the PTL executive that had been paid for by the "partners." During my early years there, Uncle Henry took us on a tour of the building he he brought us to the pool, where several children were swimming. He told us the pool was open to partners, and it was used also for baptisms. Jim and Tammy had more battles than people knew about. They were always being attacked by a reporter in the Charlotte Newspaper. Jim opened up an old fashioned ice cream parlour. It had planks for flooring and sawdust on the floor. It was patterned after one in Charlotte. The board of health came in and closed it down because the space between the planks and the sawdust was unsanitary and a health risk. So they had to redo the floor and get rid of the sawdust, while the other ice cream parlour had the planks and sawdust. It is true that mistakes were made and the focus seemed to shift a bit at the end. But it was always a haven for a Christian to go for peace and quiet. A safe place for kids. A place for teaching, renewal, healing, worship and recreation. I believe in the heart of my hearts that Jim did not mean to defraud people. As someone pointed out, airlines overbook. As for collecting funds and also using them for someone else.. what does the US and Canadian Governments do with the money collected for Social Security or Unemployment Insurance taxes? The money does not go there at all, but into a general fund. I am blessed by the material I bought there. The PTL Bible, the PTL Study Course and the Tapes of the Old Testament read by Efrem Zimbalist, Jr which I listen to every day and books and records by Tammy Faye. She had a voice like an angel and Jim was a tremendous preacher. I would love to see PTL start up again. I don't think I would want to see the "after pictures" when I have experienced the "before." I will go through my slides (I had 3000 slides damaged by water) and see what I have of PTL. I will scan them and make them available to anyone who is interested.
Paul. |
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03-22-03, 09:37 PM
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#63 |
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Contributor
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Atlanta GA
Posts: 14
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PTL SLIDES
I have a group on YAHOO called PTLHERITAGEUSA, with some new pictures of what was Heritage, but I would really like some old ones, so your slides would be VERY welcome !
Thanks, Tim |
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03-22-03, 10:26 PM
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#64 |
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New Member
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Near Windsor, Ontario
Posts: 10
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A friend of mine will be loaning me their scanner which has a slide/film adapter. I expect to get it at the end of the month. I also have a video I took (not very good quality) of the PTL grounds and some of the events taking place. I'll copy the relevant parts and make it available to you.
My email is phough@canada.com if you want to email me. |
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03-28-03, 06:18 PM
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#65 |
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New Member
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 1
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PTL Television Network
It seems that there is some confusion as to what actually happened to PTL's Cable Network known as PTL-The Inspirational Network. The cable network has never gone off the air and to this day is still broadcasting. In 1990, Morris Cerullo World Evangelism of San Diego, California bought the network out of bankruptcy court in Columbia, SC for $7 million. Morris' son, David Cerullo was named President & CEO of what was renamed The New Inspirational Network. A new broadcast facility which includes several studios and a state of the art production facility was build at 9700 Southern Pine Boulevard just over the state line in Charlotte, NC in the Pine Brook Business Park off I-77. Within 2 years, the "New" was dropped from the network's name and it became known simply as INSP-The Inspirational Network. It has since become known as INSP-The Inspiration Network (Inspirational was shortened to Inspiration). When the Cerullo family purchased the cable network, they also moved the large satellite dishes from Heritage USA's Satellite Valley to the new building in Charlotte. David Cerullo has done an excellent job revitalizing the network. It is now available on many hundreds of cable systems throughout the country. In addition to INSP, they have also expanded the operation to include 2 other networks: I-LIFE TV (Inspirational Life Television) a digital cable network focusing on religious and family programming and La Familia Network, a Spanish oriented programmer with religious and family programming. They have brought these 3 networks together under one parent company known as The Inspiration Networks. Ted Turner has no part in any of this venture as was suggested in some previous posts. Thankfully at least this part of Heritage USA and PTL has survived and never gone off the air since it was launched by Jim & Tammy those many years ago to carry on the word of the Lord!
(the website for INSP is www.insp.com) |
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04-02-03, 10:00 PM
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#66 |
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New Member
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Near Windsor, Ontario
Posts: 10
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Thank you so very much for the information Todd! I am happy that the old PTL Network is carring on in the manner for which it was intended and has not been taken over and used in a non-Christian purpose.
How fortunate that you are living in the States. Even though I live in a free and democratic country (Canada) we only have 2 or 3 totally Christian Radio stations. During hearings by the CRTC (the government agency which controls TV and Radio broadcasting) a 15 year old Christian girl asked the commission, do you think it is fair or right that I am the only person in my classroom that come home after school and listen to their favourite music? The chairman agreed that it was not right and they would look into it. Nothing has been done. If you subscribe to Digital TV you can receive 40 digiital music stations, only one of which is a contemporary music station. I am not complaining really, but I would love to hear some good old fashioned gospel music. :-) For years we have one had one Religious Channel on our cable networks called Vision Network. It can hardly be called "Christian" because Eastern Religions, Islamics etc. etc. use this channel, and true Christian broadcasting makes up a small portion. Indeed if you tune in at night you see old movies (1930's space movies) or infomercials touting weight loss or exercise equipment. They recently added a Roman Catholic Network (at a cost) but so far in Canada that is it. Every time the CTRC is going to award new channels and the prospectors present their reason that their application should be accepted we feel that Crossroads Communications which produces 100 Huntley Street, (something like the PTL format, guests, teaching music etc.) and other Christian programming, it will finally be their turn to be accepted. When the dust settles, we will have a gay men's and a gay woman's channel, another music channel or two, a woman's and a men's channel, a Sex-TV channel, a Native American (which is right) channel, another French channel or two, but no Christian channel. That is not surprising when the chaplain general in Ottawa decreed on July 24, which left Canadian Forces chaplains unable to use such phrases like "Father, Son and Holy Spirit," the name of Christ and even the Lord's Prayer and it is again not surprising in light of our Remberence services on Armistace Day on Nov. 11th, that we heard no prayers that mentioned the name of God or Jesus or the Holy Spirit. The reason given, of course, is to be sensitive to other minority religions (less than 2%) by offending the majority. It seems the CRTC thinks we have enough Christian programming with Jack Van Impe, the Chystal Cathedral, and the other odd Christian broadcasting on Sundays and the odd Billy Graham Special is enough Christian broadcasting for Christians and we should be satisfied with it. How much I loved it when we were given a Direct Access Dish for a present, and we could watch and listen to 5 different Christain Networks. The music! The teaching. How wonderful it was!! Then our government decreed it was unlawful for a Canadian to intercept a satellite signal that did orginate in Canada. Some people who could use an American address, and thus make payments to a US Satellite company, were told this was also illegal. Then the RCMP raided several stores across Canada that sold the equipment satellite eqipment and seized it. Being a Christian, and being told it was against the law to use it, we took the dish down off our roof. We are keeping it, hoping the law will change and it will be legal to use it. In the meantime, the Canadian Satellite company that complained to the government about the use of the "illegal dishes" in Canada is still continuing to broadcast American News, several US stations, the Playboy Channel, and of course the foreign dubbed movies. To do our part we called the cable company about recieving US Christian Network programming and we were told that they could only use so many US channel feeds, and they were not on the list. They referred us to the Catholic channel, which is great for Catholics. As I said at the start of this, I am glad that I live in a free and democratic country, but I wish I had some of your country's freedoms. (we too can't pray in school). Thank you for listening. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It seems that there is some confusion as to what actually happened to PTL's Cable Network known as PTL-The Inspirational Network. The cable network has never gone off the air and to this day is still broadcasting. In 1990, Morris Cerullo World Evangelism of San Diego, California bought the network out of bankruptcy court in Columbia, SC for $7 million. Morris' son, David Cerullo was named President & CEO of what was renamed The New Inspirational Network. A new broadcast facility which includes several studios and a state of the art production facility was build at 9700 Southern Pine Boulevard just over the state line in Charlotte, NC in the Pine Brook Business Park off I-77. Within 2 years |
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04-06-03, 12:32 PM
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#67 | |
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Contributor
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Fargo, ND
Posts: 276
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Re: PTL Television Network
Quote:
I have always wondered why the Cerullo's haven't attempted to resurrect Heritage USA? Since Morris Cerullo's organization bought PTL - The Inspirational Network out of bankrupty; it simply would have made sense for them to take the entire plunge and buy Heritage USA as well. I know the Cerullo organization would have run Heritage USA in a fine manner. As I recall, one of Jerry Falwell's motives for taking over PTL and then putting it into bankrupty; was for him to make a bid for the cable network during the bankruptcy court proceedings. I assume he would have merged PTL-The Inspirational Network with his Liberty Broadcasting Network. He was quoted in one of the many books that's been written about PTL to the effect, "I don't care anything about all that jamboree stuff that goes on down there at Heritage USA. My only interest in this is getting the cable network for The Old Time Gospel Hour." When his bid in the bankruptcy court proceedings was rejected, Falwell and his people bailed out, leaving PTL and Heritage USA hanging in the balance. Weeks later, the remnants of Hurricane Hugo swept through the Heritage USA grounds and caused quite a bit of damage. The bankruptcy trustee who was overseeing PTL at the time ordered Heritage USA boarded up, and the rest sadly, is history. Last edited by Rick4404 : 04-06-03 at 12:46 PM. |
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04-23-03, 03:19 AM
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#68 |
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New Member
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 1
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what does PTL stand for?
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04-23-03, 06:51 PM
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#69 | |
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Contributor
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Fargo, ND
Posts: 276
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What do the PTL initials stand for?
Quote:
PTL most commonly was shorthand for "Praise the Lord" or "People that Love." A few national talk show hosts, entertainers, and secular mass media people said PTL stood for "Pass the Loot." Last edited by Rick4404 : 04-23-03 at 06:55 PM. |
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04-24-03, 09:59 AM
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#70 |
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Contributor
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Atlanta GA
Posts: 14
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The Jim Bakker Show
Just wanted to let everyone know that you can see the new JIM BAKKER SHOW on www.ctnonline.com at 2:00pm EST Monday thru Friday, you will need Real Player to see it. These shows are taped and done from the Studio City Cafe in Branson.
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06-04-03, 02:32 PM
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#71 |
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Member
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Charlotte, NC
Posts: 50
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reviving our heritage!
It is wonderful to see people talking about Heritage again. I believe people have been talking all along, but now we are talking with one voice....re-open heritage USA!!!
The time has come for us to do that very thing. Third Millenium Ministries has begun. For more information, e-mail thirdayrevival@aol.com. They will respond to you with some basic information concerning the property and the direction God is leading them. I believe this ministry is going to be the one that God uses to restore "our heritage". Not just the property, but the ideals that went with it. I am excited about what God is about to do. Not only is God going to restore that property, but He is also going to restore our country. People are going to get their life back, their joy back, their marraiges back, their peace back, etc. Morality will once again be a consideration when people make choices. I AM EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!  Can you tell?
__________________
Today could be that day! |
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06-10-03, 07:02 PM
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#72 |
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Contributor
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Fargo, ND
Posts: 276
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Could this be the hour?
This thread and a few others related to Heritage USA and PTL have been pretty much ongoing for over a year. It appears the general consensus among those who have posted messages on this thread is that Heritage USA needs to be re-opened for its original purpose.
Unfortunately, I am an assistant manager in retail sales and am of limited financial means. At this time, I could not commit anything financially towards your vision, but certainly I can commit your plans to prayer and encourage others to pray about it as well. May God bless your endeavors and most importantly, may this be the start of true revival! Heritage USA will be raised up from the ashes as an oasis of Christian love, ministry, fellowship, deliverance, healing etc. |
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06-19-03, 12:23 AM
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#73 |
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New Member
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 1
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I'm new
Hi...I was doing a search about Heritage and found this site...I've really enjoyed reading and remembering all the things that use to be at Heritage USA. Though I never went when Jim and Tammy were head of the property, I went right after Falwell took over and went back several times afterwards. In fact for my High school graduation, I went to Heritage and stayed in the Grand Hotel. I saw 2 things in past posts that were incorrect...1. the castle was never finished, it was being built to house a Wendy's (yes, the hamburger fast food place) The owner of Wendy's...Dave was a very well known Christian and wanted to be involved in Heritage USA (I remember I went on a tour and they were talking about this.) 2. Lori Graham Bakker is NOT Billy Graham's daughter..her father is named Scott (from her book.)
I want to know what happened to the singers that were on after Jim and Tammy left and Sam Johnson took over... Brenda, Ron, Les, ect. We see Bob and Jeannie on the Gaither videos, but never heard what happened to everyone else. I know right after they left the Heritage property Sam took over a church off Tyvola (beside I-77) but last time we were up in Charlotte (several years ago) it didn't look like he was there anymore. I appriciate any help. and thanks for all the memories! Cyndi |
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06-19-03, 02:18 AM
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#74 | |
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New Member
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Near Windsor, Ontario
Posts: 10
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Re: I'm new
I have some slides of the PTL Singers, some singing with Tammy Faye in 1980 and 1980. I remember BeBe and CeCe Winans sung with the PTL Singers and we know they went on to singing careers of their own. I don't know what happened to the other singers or if they pursued careers elsewhere.
Blessings, Quote:
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06-19-03, 10:53 PM
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#75 |
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Contributor
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Fargo, ND
Posts: 276
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Welcome Cyndi
I stand corrected about Lori Graham-Bakker. Thank you for pointing this error out.
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