October 8, 2016, marked a significant event for the Apostolic Faith Church—the groundbreaking for a new international headquarters office on the Portland campground. After a fire in February of 2014 severely damaged the chapel east of the tabernacle, the decision was made to rebuild the structure as a new world headquarters that will house the administrative and operational functions of the Apostolic Faith work. That project is now officially underway.

Over recent months, the damaged building was removed, the former basement filled in, and the site leveled. As congregation members gathered at the site on the morning of the groundbreaking ceremony, many paused to look at the architect’s rendition of the proposed ten thousand square foot structure which was posted nearby, and the outline of the building perimeter which had been taped off at the site.

The groundbreaking event began with a brass ensemble playing a spirited rendition of “Jesus Saves.” Then the Superintendent General, Darrel Lee, read from Nehemiah chapter 1, which describes the Israelites’ distress that Jerusalem had been burned and wasted, and Nehemiah’s prayer for God to help them. He commented that when the chapel building was burned two years ago, church members were also distressed and prayed, and now God was beginning to give beauty for ashes.

“The function of this office is to send out to the whole world the product of meetings held here—sermons that are preached and testimonies that are given—that God’s name might be glorified.”

Reverend Lee referred to the words of Reverend Loyce C. Carver at the groundbreaking ceremony of the current headquarters building, which is located across Fifty-second Avenue from the campground. On that occasion, Reverend Carver had stated, “The function of this office is to send out to the whole world the product of meetings held here—sermons that are preached and testimonies that are given—that God’s name might be glorified. These are typed and edited, printed, and distributed into all the world, free of charge. It is the same Gospel that you hear when you come to a meeting, but we try to put wings to it so it will go everywhere.”

Reverend Lee noted that this is still our charge, saying, “We will continue to do in this new building what we have done in our previous headquarters buildings for 110 years. We will strive to do it in a more widespread manner yet, because we have the benefit of the digital advances our predecessors lacked.”

Reverend John Musgrave gave a prayer to conclude the groundbreaking ceremony. Then Reverend Earl Phillips and Reverend Nolan Roby—both retired pastors whose families came into the Gospel through the church literature—donned hard hats and turned the first shovels of dirt, signaling the official start of the building project. 

Construction is expected to begin after the first of the year. The plans were drawn by a architect who used the historic setting of our campground and its existing buildings, along with the office operational functions and workflow, to design a modern office building. It was designed in a way that should meet the present needs of the Apostolic Faith organization while anticipating those of the next generation.   

The construction will take up to eighteen months and is expected to be completed prior to the 2018 Portland camp meeting.