Does anybody know where I can buy video cassettes of the PTL Club?

Are you serious? Sorry for asking, but in your posts you usually have your tongue placed firmly in your cheek.

If you are serious, I'm sure you will find tapes somewhere. I saw several hundred for sale at a flea market a couple of years ago. That long defunct organization still has many loyal supporters. One idea: place a free classified in a local "Weekly Shopper" or similar publication. You may find someone willing to loan you tapes to copy.

Thanks for info -- and I say that without my tongue in my cheek!

I have no intent to offend anyone, but I remember the PTL Club vividly. I recently finished reading "Forgiven" by Charles Sheppard (a reporter from the Charlotte Observer who covered the final days of PTL) and I have been fascinated by the story.
Does anyone know what has happened with the property formerly owned by PTL? How is the property being used now? What are Jim and Tammy Faye up to know? If anyone knows or has a link I would greatly appreciate your sharing!

[Rick4404]

Tammy Faye as you recall divorced Jim after he was sent to federal prison. Jim was originally sentenced to 45 years in prison for federal fraud related charges. That sentence was shortened on appeal and he wound up serving approximately five years in prison. Tammy married of all people, Roe Messener, the head of the construction company that built many of the buildings on the Heritage USA property. Uncle Henry Harrison passed away a few years ago. Jim was released from prison and has remarried. I believe they live in California somewhere. I recall a news story about Uncle Henry's funeral, which was held in what was the Barn Auditorium of Heritage USA. At the request of his widow, Susan Harrison, Jim Bakker preached the funeral. Heritage USA was bought out of bankruptcy by I believe the Radisson Hotel chain which turned the property into a secular resort. Jamie Charles Bakker (who prefers to be called Jay) is a youth pastor and Tammy Sue eloped with gospel singer Gary Chapman. I am not personally acquainted with any of the above, but have gotten this information from various sources including news items.

[Corrvin]

I am not personally acquainted with any of the above, but have gotten this information from various sources including news items.

Wow! If I ever have any further questions on the PTL Club, I know who to ask!

Thanks very much Rick4404 for your concise summary!

Corr

[Rick4404]

Thank you for the compliment. I forgot to mention about Richard Dortch. Dortch became the executive vice president of PTL. He served approximately two years at the minimum security federal prison camp at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, after pleading guilty to charges of wire fraud and mail fraud in connection with his role in the overselling of so-called "Lifetime Partnerships" at PTL. Today, Dortch is once again an active minister in the Assemblies of God. Today, he runs a ministry in the Tampa-St. Petersburg, Florida area called "Life Challenge." He spoke at a men's retreat which I attended a few years ago. His book, "Integrity...How I Lost It And My Journey Back," is well worth reading. Jim Bakker's book "I Was Wrong" is definitely worth reading as well. James Watt, former U.S. Secretary of the Interior, wrote a forward in Dortch's book and declared what Dortch wrote was "chillingly accurate." Watt was on the board of directors that was installed when the esteemed Dr. Jerry Falwell took over the PTL ministry/Heritage USA. In part of the book, Dortch talks about the downfall and how Falwell offered to assume leadership of the PTL ministry for six months and then give it back to Jim and Tammy. Not only did he not give PTL back to Jim and Tammy, but he also fired Dortch and then led PTL/Heritage USA into Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which it never emerged from. The INSP Network that is currently available on cable television and satellite was The Inspirational Network/PTL. A Christian ministry headed by evangelist Morris Cerullo and his son David Cerullo, located in Charlotte, N.C., broadcasts Christian programming on the INSP network.

[Rick4404]

Originally posted by Corrvin


Wow! If I ever have any further questions on the PTL Club, I know who to ask! Thanks very much Rick4404 for your concise summary!

Corr

The problem with PTL/Heritage USA wasn't so much Jim and Tammy Bakker than it was the people they surrounded themselves with. Money, fame and power are bound to corrupt anyone; and I think they lost touch with reality. Heritage USA was a fine place, a great concept. Remember, Jim and Tammy Bakker didn't run the place alone. There were some 2,000 full and part-time employees who worked at PTL/Heritage USA. All of these folks truly loved their jobs and really cared about their guests; the people who came from all over the world to visit Heritage USA. PTL/Heritage USA was one of the major employers there in the local area of Fort Mill/York County, South Carolina; which is a suburban area directly south of the Charlotte/Mecklenburg County, North Carolina area. What other "theme" park can make claims of the following? At no time in the history of Heritage USA was anyone ever assaulted, robbed, attacked while on the Heritage USA grounds? No one ever had their vehicles broken into, nor their lodging rooms broken into while visiting Heritage USA. There was not one single major incident during the entire run of Heritage USA in which anyone was hurt. Heritage USA had an impeccable safety record. There was not once a homicide or a sexual assault committed on the Heritage USA premesis. I am well versed in what happened at PTL/Heritage USA. I have read several books and looked through many news articles about what happened down there. I am fully convinced that if the esteemed Dr. Jerry Falwell hadn't taken over PTL/Heritage USA under what I would consider less than honest, bordering on fraudulent means and subsequently buried the place; I truly believe Heritage USA would be going as strong as ever today. Right towards the end, when PTL/Heritage USA was placed into bankruptcy by Falwell, a group of Heritage USA employees headed by North Dakota native Rev. Sam Johnson, who was on staff as a pastor at Heritage USA, led a grass-roots effort to buy Heritage USA out of bankruptcy. Their efforts failed when they could not come up with sufficient capital. Johnson became the senior pastor of what was the Heritage Village Church. PTL's parent organization was the Heritage Village Church and Missionary Fellowship, Inc. Heritage Village Church was an Assemblies of God Church. As long as a legally-recognized church was the parent organization, then PTL could avail itself of the various tax exempt statuses.

Thanks to you for an accurate account of the PTL and it's reputation to all those who were in the "know". There is no way that a person could drive through that theme park, walk those grounds, etc. and not feel a good spirit around them. The same holds true to the feeling as you are leaving....that umbrella of the spirit of goodness was no longer there.
I think it was a shame that the jury was not allowed to go and look at what Heritage USA had to offer. Everything there was the best....nothing chintzy or cheap. How could the Bakkers have spent as much money on themselves as they were accused of doing when as anyone could see what had been done there for the pleasure of anyone who wanted to come to enjoy? I will never forget that scarey feeling that swept over myself and others as we watched what I compared to another crucifiction. WE all know now, that God was in that place....especially when noone has ever been able to make it grow again in any way....I wonder how deep the remorse is inside those who destroyed such sacred ground?? I will never forget!!! MICKI ORR~

[Rick4404]

You bring up an interesting point. I believe that U.S. District Judge Robert Potter was pretty much biased against Jim Bakker and PTL from the get-go. Potter has since taken "Senior Status" which means he is semi-retired, yet still can hear cases. Since he was the Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, it was his job to assign cases to the other judges in the district. Is it any surprise that he handled all the PTL-related cases himself? I don't know if allowing the jury to tour Heritage USA would have helped or not. I was glad to see Potter's original 45 year sentence that he handed down to Jim Bakker get overturned. 45 years for a white collar crime is unheard of. That's how terribly biased the man was, I believe. To argue for a change of venue probably would have been pointless. Everyone in America knew about PTL, Heritage USA and the Bakkers. I am glad to see that Jim, Tammy, Richard Dortch and the Bakker children have all moved on with their lives. However, I can't help stopping myself from thinking, "What if? What if someone could come in and purchase the facilities that were once Heritage USA and then start things over as 'The New Heritage USA?'" I am a simple auto parts salesman with little financial means. But could God still use and bless a reborn Heritage USA? Only time will tell.

[tgsanford]

You are right on Rick, I too would love to see someone of means "bring it back to life" the property is still vacant owned by a company in Malaysia, and managed by a company by the name of Regent Park Properties, I was there not long ago, its so totally depressing, its a real heart breaker. It was nice to find a place to share my thoughts on the subject.

God bless.

[Rick4404]

It would be so cool to see another Christian organization purchase what was Heritage USA and run it as it originally was intended. A Christ-centered retreat. As I recall during the bankruptcy process, a man from Toronto, Canada named Stephen Mernick and Evangelist Morris Cerullo both bid for the property. Cerullo and his son David Cerullo launched what is now the INSP Network on cable/satellite TV. INSP is based in Charlotte. I believe that network was the PTL Satellite Network/The Inspirational Network. Talk about a prophetic turn of events here. I remember reading in Richard Dortch's book, "Integrity, How I Lost It and my Journey Back," about a telephone call he had with the Rev. David Wilkerson. Wilkerson had a prophetic vision that God's spirit had left the place and it was up to Dortch to try and make things right. Otherwise one year from then, God would write Ichabod over the doors of Heritage USA. "The birds will fly in that hotel in one year if something isn't done," Wilkerson was quoted as saying to Dortch. Dortch went about trying to turn things around and then the Bakker-Hahn scandal broke. Then it was just a matter of time. Wilkerson, one of the few truly prophetic men I know of in America, unfortunately, was right on. When Falwell and his people abandoned ship, the remnants of a hurricane blew through the Heritage USA grounds, and that pretty much put the nail in the coffin. The bankruptcy trustee ordered eveything boarded up and that was the end of Heritage USA. From what I have been able to gather, no one else has been successful at running any kind of business on the Heritage USA property. Didn't the Radisson Hotel chain try and turn it into a secular resort a few years ago? Anyway, it failed. I believe that property is God's property! I hope and pray that somehow God will raise someone or a group of people up that will rebuild what was once Heritage USA as an oasis of Christian love. I had always wanted to take a vacation and come visit Heritage USA, but never had the opportunity. I would love to come down there someday soon, sort of like a pilgrimage. Even though nothing is going on down there now, I would still like to drive around and get out and walk around in what was once Heritage USA. I know I would really be praying and meditating...probably shedding a tear or two along the way.

[tgsanford]

Rick you are correct, Radisson did try as well as the "Carolina Splash Water Park", currently the outdoor ampatheater is in use by a christian company called Naroway Productions, the campground is also in use, I have visited several times, my parents acutally went in 1986 for a weekend. Try this link for a view from above, zoom in and move around, it gives you an idea..





you can also go to Mapquest.com and type in 6000 Heritage Road in Fort Mill Sc and you can get an on top view in color...

I live about 8 miles away from where Heritage USA is/was. Most of it has been sitting unused since 1998. This is when the hotel and waterpark closed for good. The 22 story unfinished hotel has major structural damage and the whole place is prone to arsons. Here is the latest this year at Kevin's House...

http://www.heraldonline.com/local/v-...-1081907c.html

I'm hoping to get over there and get some pictures. Billy Graham's boyhood home is still there but not touched in years. It's looking pretty weathered. The upper room still stands, but I haven't gotten out of my car to take a look. Security has been up since the fire. It is really sad to see this place and all the waste that the new owners are doing.

Naroway Productions has the outdoor theater and there is some production company using the front half of the studio. THe back half was damaged by Hurricane Hugo and has gaping holes in the roof. There are some people using the campground area. Couldn't tell if they were simply squaters. Laura Ashley has its headquarters in some of the buildings that are not near the Main Street USA or hotels in the front half of the property where the new housing has been going. The rest is pretty much unused.

[Rick4404]

Michael,
Thank you for the update. I especially was very saddened to hear of the fires that destroyed what was "Kevin's House" and one of the time-share condominium units. It is so sad indeed about what has happened. I am glad to hear that a Christian ministry is using the amphitheater. Do you know if the production company that is using part of the television studio is connected to a Christian ministry at all? As I recall, the Heritage Towers never really was completed and cleared for occupancy; so I guess the structural damage really isn't that surprising. I'm glad to hear you say that security has been beefed up on what is now the Regent Park property. It would be so cool if someone or some group of means would purchase the property, rebuild and repair the damage that's been done and reopen Heritage USA with its original intent; to be an oasis of Christian love for all who visit. I'm really surprised that Morris and David Cerullo of the INSP Television Network (Formerly the PTL Satellite Network/Inspirational Network) haven't been at the forefront of rebuilding Heritage USA, given the fact that INSP is based out of Charlotte.