“Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it…” (Psa. 127:1).
On Sunday, December 12, 1993, ninety-three people gathered on Zion Hill in Cleveland, TN. This location, a five acre plot of land donated by a member of the Cleveland church, would become the site of the new General Headquarters office complex and sanctuary for the local church in Cleveland. Among those who gathered were five State Overseers (Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and West Virginia) as well as ministers, members, and friends of The Church of God. The weather was beautiful that day, and the Spirit of the Lord was there in a very special way to manifest His approval on the service.
Plans immediately began to construct the two edifices. In similar fashion to the giving described in Exodus 36:3-7, the people of God began freely and abundantly contributing to the construction of the Headquarters office complex. Because of this generosity and willingness to participate in the program of God, General Headquarters was built in a timely fashion to serve the needs of the Church.
A dedication service was held on September 1, 1994, prior to the General Assembly to dedicate the facility to God’s service. The staff of General Headquarters began moving in to the newly completed facilities on October 3, 1994.
At the 92nd Annual Assembly in 1997, the Ways and Means Committee presented a recommendation to the General Assembly regarding the purchase of additional land. The General Trustees had advised the committee to recommend the purchase of a two and a half acres tract of land directly behind and joining the Headquarters property. This recommendation was made for a threefold purpose: 1) to provide land for the future expansion of the Church; 2) to ensure that General Headquarters was not closely surrounded by housing or other developments; and 3) to prevent the possibilities of others desiring to use the Headquarters property to access their property. The General Assembly unanimously accepted this recommendation, and the land was purchased.
The following year, additional land became available for purchase. In the 93rd Annual Assembly in 1998, the Ways and Means Committee brought forward an additional recommendation to purchase another five acres of property on the east side of the facility. The recommendation stated, “With the growth we are experiencing in the Church, we foresee the need to expand our present facilities to accommodate our Print Shop, merchandising area, shipping, and mailing capabilities just to mention a few. We feel we will need this property soon.” The recommendation was unanimously accepted by the General Assembly.
In 1999, the General Overseer, Robert J. Pruitt, proposed a much-needed expansion of the General Headquarters facilities. At the 94th Annual Assembly, the Ways and Means Committee recommended that permission be granted to the General Overseer and the Administrative Committee to move forward in having plans drawn up for a building expansion project. Once again, the Assembly accepted the recommendation with unanimous consent, and plans were immediately implemented to move forward with the project.
The first phase of the project began with early 2000 with an expansion of the print shop facilities. This expansion opened additional floor space for the printing and publication of materials. It also afforded the opportunity of additional office space. Immediately following this remodeling, funds began to be raised for second phase of expansion. The construction of a second building began shortly thereafter. At the request of the General Overseer, the Church chose to move forward with the project only as funds were available with the understanding that no debt would be incurred during the building process.
The second phase of the project came to a close under the direction of the General Overseer, Stephen E. Smith, on May 28, 2009, only two days before Bible Training Institute, when an occupancy permit was granted for the new facilities. A dedication service for the new facilities was held on Sunday morning, September 13, 2009, during the 104th General Assembly.
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